Legend of Star Ghost I: Annihilation
by John Storm
Summary: Six years after the Lylat Wars have ended Cerinia is attacked by old of its oldest enemies. The very existence of Cerinia is in jeopardy. Only a newly formed mercenary team called Star Ghost, a team that rivaled Star Fox in terms of skill, can save Cerinia. This is my first FanFiction story so please R&R.
1. Introduction

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Fox but I hope that you enjoy the story.**

**This is my first FanFiction story. This is the story of the mysterious and deadly Star Ghost team. A team that rivaled Star Fox in terms of skill. I wrote this story to be compatible to the **_**Star Fox series**_**, by that I mean that giving the events of the series, it could happen. I wrote this story primary because of the way **_**Star Fox Command**_** ended. This story doesn't specifically which ending is the true ending, just whether or not Fox and Krystal end up together. It also explains what happens to Fara Phoenix after her relationship with Fox.**

Introduction

Krystal walks outside of her home on Sauria carrying two glasses of juice. It is the perfect day. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, it is nice and warm, and the area around her is beautiful and peaceful. She couldn't ask for a more perfect to raise a family. In the yard is Krystal's husband Fox McCloud and four year old son Marcus. They are playing with Jonathan "Johnny" Storm (a black wolf), an old family friend, and his children Daniel (18 years old), Alisha (9 years old), and Hunter (6 years old). Krystal takes a seat in the chair on the porch. Seated next to her is Johnny's wife Fara. In Fara's arms is April, her and Johnny's four month old baby girl.

"I brought you something to drink Fara." Krystal says.

"Thank you, just put it on the next to me."

Krystal places Fara's juice next to her. Fara is too busy cradling April to notice. But she does notice something unusual with Krystal.

"So Krystal how far along are you?" Fara asks.

"What are you talking about Fara?"

"I mean how long have you been pregnant?"

"Is it that obvious?" Krystal asks.

"Krystal I've had three kids, so I know the signs."

"You got a point there. I'm four months pregnant."

"Congratulations"

Krystal notices Fara looking towards the boys playing out in the yard. Fara couldn't look happier. She and Johnny have three beautiful children. Their children are Fennec Fox and Black Wolf hybrids. Alisha, Hunter, and April got the Fennec Fox's sand colored fur and long ears of their Mother. Johnny gave Alisha, Hunter, and April the physical features of a Black Wolf. They are some of the most adorable hybrids she has ever seen. Daniel is not Fara's child. He is Johnny's son from his marriage to Jasmine, Krystal's older sister. Daniel is a Black Wolf and Blue Fox hybrid. He has his mother's blue fur and his father's features.

Krystal can't help but notice how physically fit both Johnny and Fox are. Despite both of them being in their forties, they are still in good shape. Time has had very little effect on them. They appear to be in better shape now than they were in the twenties. They need to be in good shape to keep up with their children. Johnny appears to be in better shape than Fox. But that may be because he's at least six inches taller.

Krystal sees an interesting smile on Fara's face. It's more than a happy smile. It is a funny smile, like she has just thought of something ironic.

"What are you thinking about Fara?" Krystal asks.

"I was thinking about the old days before the Lylat Wars. As you know, back then I had a crush on Fox."

"Yeah, he told me everything. Why are you bringing it up?"

"Because I was just remembering one of my fantasies. It's the one where I saw him rolling on the ground with at least three kits. And I was standing nearby with a baby. I find it kind of funny now the fantasy has come true except that I'm married to Johnny, and Daniel is not a kit anymore. But that doesn't matter to me now. I couldn't be happier." Fara replies.

Krystal can't help but laugh. She laughs so hard that her sides start to hurt. It offends Fara a little.

"What is so funny Krystal?"

"I had similar fantasies when I was a teenager. But in my fantasies I was married to Jonathan."

Fara can't help but laugh. "If that isn't irony I don't know what is."

Krystal and Fara both start laughing. They laugh for what seems like forever. They laugh so loud that it gets the attention of Jonathan, Fox, Daniel, Marcus, Alisha, and Hunter.

Three hours later, everyone is inside relaxing. The sun is starting to set causing a beautiful array of light to shine over the hills and through in the window. Fara and Krystal are busy fixing dinner. Fox and Johnny are sitting on the couch trying to relax. Johnny has April cradled in his arms. She is fast asleep. Hunter is seated next to him, tired and exhausted. He looks like he is about to fall asleep as well. Daniel is seated in a chair next to the couch studying. He is preparing for his finals test to complete his second year at the Cornerian Flight Academy where Johnny and Fox work as instructors. They both teach advanced air combat. But Johnny also teaches martal arts. He is one of the deadliest martal artists in the Lylat System in the fact that he has never lost a fight and that he is a brutal fighter. His opponents that survive usually end up in the hospital. Alisha and Marcus are seated on a couch together reading a book. They both seem to be really interested in it. Alisha is reading the book to Marcus because he can't read very well. This intrigues Johnny and Fox because Alisha and Marcus are usually not interested in a book.

"What are you reading there Marcus?" Johnny asks.

"The Adventures of Star Fox."

Fox lets out a sigh like he isn't surprised.

"What is it Fox?" Johnny asks.

"Marcus has taken an interest in Star Fox lately. When he found out that Krystal and I were members of the team he went ballistic. He thinks that we're gods basically."

"That's because you and mom were the best pilots that ever lived." Marcus butts in excitedly.

"And you guys never lost a fight. No one could beat Star Fox." Alisha adds in.

Alisha's comment catches Daniel's attention. "Alisha, how dare you say that about mom and dad? You wouldn't be saying that if you knew even half the things they've done." Daniel shouts.

Krystal and Fara can hear the conversation from the kitchen. Daniel's hostile remark towards Alisha' comment surprises them, especially Krystal. It still surprises her how aggressively Daniel will defend Fara. He defends her more than Johnny does. It surprises Krystal because Fara is not Daniel's mother but he acts and depends on her like a mother. Daniel never knew his mother, she died giving birth to him. Fara took her place when she married Johnny. Since then, Daniel has looked at Fara like his own mother.

Daniel's comment catches Alisha and Marcus off guard. They did not expect him to respond so harshly. It takes Alisha a little bit to come up with a comeback.

"Daniel, I know that mom and dad were war heroes, but when you compare them to Star Fox their reputation fails." Alisha says.

"That's because you don't know what your parents have done." Fox says, trying to get everyone's attention. "I know that it may be hard for you to believe Marcus but your mother and I may not be, as you see it, the best pilots that ever lived."

"And you do you believe was better that you? It wasn't Star Wolf because you guys beat them multiple times. Was it Star Falco?" Marcus asks curiously.

"No it wasn't Star Falco, even though they were pretty good. It was Star Ghost."

Alisha and Hunter look at each other confused. "Never heard of them." Marcus and Alisha says in unison.

"That doesn't surprise me." Fox replies. "They operated primary in the Zaldon System so their deeds would probably have not reached this far. Plus the things they did were not necessarily legal. So the Zaldon government denied their existence. But believe me, out of all the teams that I have come across, Star Ghost is the one that could give Star Fox a run for their money. These guys stopped the Crocodile Army in their tracks, brought down the Tigers nation, destroyed the Ammonite Empire, and ended the Zaldon Rebellion." Fox can tell that Alisha and Hunter are impressed by the looks in their faces.

"Who were they?" Alisha asks.

Fox looks at Johnny confused.

"You haven't told your own children who you are?" Fox says to Johnny.

"Yeah, I did it for their safety." Johnny replies then turns to Alisha. "Your mother and I were members of the team. The other members were Timothy and Savannah Jones."

"Really" Alisha replies, shocked. "Can you tell us your story?"

At that moment, Fara and Krystal walk into the room. "What are you guys talking about?" Fara asks.

"Alisha wants to know a story from our Star Ghost days."

"Are you going to tell them Johnny?"

Krystal smirks quietly at Fara's question. Fara is one of the few people that can get away with calling Jonathan by his nickname Johnny. The only people that can call him Johnny and get away with it are the people he fought with when he was a member of the elite Wild Cats Squadron. The Squadron was the planet Zaldon's BlackOps Fighter Squadron, the best of the best. Johnny and Fara both served in the unit. That is how they fell in love. Everyone else calls him Jonathan or John.

"I'm thinking about it. But I just don't know how to tell it. I've never been a good story teller." Johnny says.

"Well there is a way that you can tell it without using words." Krystal says.

"What are you talking about?" Johnny asks.

"Sauria has a pool in Thorntail Hollow that allows us to view memories. All you have to do is enter the pool and we can view exactly what happened like a movie. So what do you say?"

Johnny and Fara look at each other and their looks says it all. They are a little hesitant to try this. But Krystal spends the next five minutes trying to convince them to do it. Finally, Fara agrees to get in the pool tomorrow.

The next day after lunch Fara, Johnny, Daniel, Alisha, Hunter, April, Fox, Krystal, and Marcus head to the pool. Leading them is Tricky, leader of the Thorntail Dinosaur Tribe. Tricky became leader of the tribe ten years ago after Fox saved Sauria from certain doom. He is good friends with Fox and Krystal. They trust him with their lives. Johnny and Fara are a little hesitant because they don't know Tricky. Their military and mercenary experience has told them to be cautious around people they don't know, especially when they are leading into a cave. The pool is located in a cave under the tribe's home. The cave is beautifully lit by glowing plants and crystals.

"So Tricky how does the pool work?" Johnny asks.

"Our planet has unique spiritual energy. We are still finding things out about it." Tricky explains. "This cave in particular has stones that are not found in any other cave on this planet. When the spiritual energy mixes with these stones it creates a spectacular event that allows us to view your memories like we were there with you." Trick can tell that Johnny and Fara are both nervous about doing this. "You got nothing to worry about. We've done this hundreds of times and no one has ever been hurt." Tricky's explanation calms Johnny down very little. It does at work at calming Fara down. She was a little nervous about doing this whole memory thing at first. Krystal didn't do a very good job at describing what the experience will be like. Neither she nor Fox have experienced this before.

The pool is located in the deepest chamber of the caves. The room is a small but beautiful. The light from the glowing plants illuminates off the crystals, lighting the entire room as if it was on the surface instead of in a cave. The pool is in the middle of the room. The water is crystal clear. In the water are small lights swimming around like fish. Johnny and Fara can feel the energy from the pool.

"So all I have to do is get in the pool and you all will be able to view my memories?" Fara asks.

"Yes, just get in and concentrate on the particular memory you want." Tricky replies.

"Alright" Fara hands April to Johnny then addresses Daniel, Alisha, Hunter, and Marcus. "Now kids I want to warn you may see things that will probably disturb or shock you. You may not agree with the things we did. But you must understand that we did them for the greater good."

With that said, Fara slowly enters the pool. The water is cold at first but gets warm quickly. It feels weird to her, like there is something in it. Fara can feel the spiritual energy. She walks to the middle of the pool. The water is about waist deep. Fara kneels down in the water and concentrates on the memory she wants. Within moments, the pool displays Fara's memory for everyone to see.

**Just a little heads up, the chapters are going to be a little long. But if you stay with it and read through the story you will be rewarded with lots of action. And for those of you that are curious as to why I choose to make Jonathan a Black Wolf and not a Fox, I did it because I think that Black Wolves look really cool and the species fits him better than a Fox.**


	2. Chapter 1 Beautiful and Peaceful Cerinia

**Just a little heads up, this chapter includes a lot of explanations. It is necessary to prevent confusion. I'm very sorry but it is for your own good. If you can make it through this chapter you will be rewarded with almost nonstop action, I guarantee it.**

Chapter 1: Peaceful and Beautiful Cerinia

A two hundred years ago, a race of Crocodiles discovered an ancient energy source on their home planet called the Exodus. The Exodus was an inexhaustible source of energy that possessed power levels that were off the chart. Through much research and experimentation, the Crocodiles figured out that the Exodus could be connected to technology, making it stronger and faster. It could also be applied to individuals, making them unimaginably powerful. With the Exodus in hand, the Crocodiles invaded the Lylat System. The Exodus made them unbeatable. They crushed everything in their path. Every army that stood in their way was annihilated. Any planet that refused to surrender was destroyed. In a year the Crocodiles ruled over the entire Lylat System. But it was not enough. So the Crocodiles moved onto the Genesis System. The first planet they arrived at was Cerinia. The Crocodiles offered the Cerinians the chance the surrender. The Cerinians refused the Crocodiles offer. Using their planet's unique spiritual energy, the Cerinians attacked the Crocodiles before they could respond. Their surprise attack caught the Crocodiles off guard long enough for the Cerinians to remove the Exodus from the Crocodiles. Without the Exodus the Crocodiles were powerless. The Cerinians nearly whipped out the Crocodile army. The Crocodiles withdrew from all of the planets they conquered and retreated back to their home planet. Afterwards, the Cerinians council decided that the Exodus was too powerful for any society to possess. Since the Exodus was too powerful to be destroyed they appointed five Cerinians to hide the Exodus. The Cerinians hid the Exodus on an unknown planet. The five Cerinians took the location of the Exodus to their graves. For the next two hundred years the Crocodiles have been unheard of and the Exodus undisturbed, that is until now.

Star Ghost's story begins twelve years ago (six years after the Lylat Wars) on the planet Cerinia. Cerinia is located in the outskirts of the Genesis System. It is the oldest and most isolated planet in the system. It is also one of the most beautiful. The planet has a tropical rainforests, snow covered mountains, and dozens of small islands that appear as dot on the planet's surface. There is not another planet like it in the galaxy. But what makes Cerinia truly spectacular is its spiritual energy. The energy is powerful beyond comprehension. Even the inhabitants are still trying to figure out how the energy works. This energy has affected the planet's inhabitants by giving them unique abilities. Cerinia is inhabited by three species: the Blue Foxes, the Blue Cougars, and the Black Wolves. These three species live in absolute peace with each other. In order to preserve the planet's natural beauty, the inhabitants built their society into the landscape. Their society is old fashioned, meaning that they don't use modern technology. The Cerinians prefer hand to hand combat over anything.

Jonathan and Fara are on Cerinia waiting for their discharge papers to come through. Both are pilots/soldiers for the Zaldon military. They currently serve in elite the Wild Cats Squadron. Zaldon is the main military power of the Genesis System. Jonathan, 26, is a Captain. He is the youngest person to achieve that rank. Jonathan has put in eight distinguished years of service in the Zaldon Military. Seven of those years were with the Wild Cats Squadron. Fara, 24, is a Sergeant. She has put in five years of service in the Zaldon Military. They have only a month left of service before they retire from the military. They are waiting for their discharge papers to come through. Both Jonathan and Fara are looking forward to living an easy and peaceful life on Cerinia. When the Cerinian Council heard that Jonathan and Fara are retiring they jumped at the opportunity to get them to train their soldiers. They figured that Jonathan and Fara, with their military experience, would be the perfect instructors.

The sun is just starting to rise over the Cerinian Mountains but the Black Wolves are already up and busy. The training arena is packed with teenage students ready to begin their early morning Muay Thai training. Muay Thai has been the martal art of the Black Wolves for hundreds of years. It is one of the deadliest martal arts that has ever existed. The point of Muay Thai is to destroy the opponent, potentially and easily killing them. It is aggressive and powerful. It primary focuses on elbows and knee strikes to the head. Muay Thai teaches the students to use every part of their body as a weapon. The Black Wolves put in a lot of conditioning into their training to make their bodies as strong as possible and build a high pain tolerance. A master of Muay Thai can kill a man with a single blow to the head.

The students are standing around talking. All that ends when the master enters. The master is an old Black Wolf named Ezekiel. The students rush to their positions, kneel and bow before Ezekiel as a sign of respect. Ezekiel returns their bow and takes a position at the head of the class.

"Class, today is a special day. All of you here today will get the chance to graduate from training and earn your Wolf Claws."

The Wolf Claw is a status symbol in the Black Wolf society. It symbolizes that the wolf has become a man. It is a big honor. After graduating training, the student is branded with a branding iron on both their shoulders. The iron is shaped into a wolf's claw. Along with the symbol the wolf will also receive their Black Wolf sword. The Black Wolf sword is a powerful weapon. It is made out a metal that is found only on Cerinia that is five times stronger than steel and a third the weight. The sword has a curved blade making it a primary slashing weapon. Running along the back are six inch long, curved blades. The blades are spaced far enough part to fit an arm or another sword in between, meaning that it can easily rip a person's arm off and tear through flesh like a chainsaw. But the weapon has a Cerinian stone on the hilt that gives the sword a special ability. It allows the sword to cut through absolutely anything, including force shields and energy. The sword can also absorb energy from an opponent's attack and turn it into a powerful strike and destroy anything in its path. To activate the energy requires a two handed grip. Unfortunately, unlike other Cerinia weapons that rely on electrical energy to activate it draws its energy from the user, potentially killing the user if they hold on for too long.

In order to get their Wolf Symbol and the Black Wolf Sword, a student has to first pass the test. They have to fight 25 one minute matches, back to back, with no rest in between matches. The only rule is that no techniques that can kill are allowed. The tests shows that the student can not only take hit and has excellent skills but also has the endurance to last in battle. If a student fails they get two more chance to retake the test. If they fail three times they will never become a man.

At that moment another Black Wolf walks into the training arena and takes a seat next to Ezekiel. The students look at Wolf in a sense of confusion. On both of his shoulders are the Wolf Claw's symbol and the Black Wolf Sword is strapped to his side. Very few of them recognize him.

"This man's name is Jonathan Storm. He is one of my best warriors. He is my student. I brought him here to help with the process." Ezekiel says.

All of the student's know that Jonathan is next in line for the Black Wolf throne. But very few of them know Jonathan's reputation as a warrior. One of the students finds it insulting that Ezekiel would bring in Jonathan to help. He bows to Ezekiel in order to gain a chance to speak. During training hours, a student has to bow to the master before speaking. It shows respect. For a student to speak without bowing to the master is a great insult. In the Black Wolf society, honor and respect is everything. Ezekiel gives the student the opportunity to speak.

"He is so young. Will he be able to help at all?"

Jonathan looks at Ezekiel with a look that says "please let me challenge him." Ezekiel nods to Jonathan giving his respect.

Jonathan and the wolf face off. Both take a Muay Thai fighting stance. Jonathan waits for the wolf to attack him. The wolf suddenly attacks him with a powerful roundhouse kick aimed at his head but Jonathan easily blocks it and returns a thrust kick to the wolf's chest, knocking him back. Jonathan then rushes at the wolf, jumps and delivers a powerful rotating punch to the head, knocking the wolf out. Another wolf jumps up and rushes at Jonathan. Jonathan stops the wolf with a quick kick to the knee then delivers a powerful kick to the wolf's chin, knocking him out. Another wolf attacks Jonathan with a kick aimed at his stomach. Jonathan easily blocks the attack then elbow strikes the wolf in the stomach and finishes him with a roundhouse punch to the jaw. A fourth students rushes at Jonathan. He attempts to knee Jonathan in the back but is blocked. Jonathan delivers an elbow strike to the back of the wolf's head, grabs him by the base of the neck and forces him to the ground. Jonathan tosses him aside like he was ragdoll. All this happens in less than ten seconds. The other students just sit there looking at Jonathan, all of them absolutely amazed. Jonathan sees a few mouths drop open. Out of the corner of his eye, Jonathan sees Ezekiel smiling. "Now if there are no further interruptions we'll start the process."

Jonathan looks at the back of the arena. Fara Phoenix is standing by the door looking absolutely beautiful. Jonathan nods at Fara and she winks playfully back at him. She waves goodbye at Jonathan then leaves. Fara has to teach the Cerinian pilots how to fly in just a few minutes.

Training continues throughout the rest of the day. By the end of the day, everyone is tired, exhausted, beaten, and broken. Some are in the hospital for their injuries. Out of the fifteen students that took the test ten of them passed. All of the ones that failed are in the hospital. Seeing these students take the tests reminds Jonathan of the time he took the test a decade ago. All of the students that took the tests today were at least 16. Jonathan was 15 when he took it. His outstanding Muay Thai skills earned him the chance to attempt the test early. Jonathan remembers the injuries he sustained which ranged from minor cuts to a mild concussion.

"Good memories"

Jonathan looks at his watch, it reads 4:15.

"Oh crap I'm going to be late."

Jonathan takes off running at a full sprint from the training arena to his parent's house. He has to run through the busy streets to make it there on time. He has to dodge pedestrians and carts on the way. Jonathan almost knocks multiple people over. Several of them shout "watch where you're going moron," "slow down a hole," and "F you" as he runs past them. He either ignores them or laughs to himself.

Jonathan finally makes it to his parent's house. He looks at his watch, 4:29, just barely on time. Jonathan knocks on the door and his answered by his mother Maria.

"Right on time, the matches must've taken a while." Maria says.

"No, I just go is in the t caught up in old memories." Jonathan replies. "Was Daniel any trouble today?"

"He was a little bit trouble. But I shouldn't be surprised, he is your son after all."

"That's true, where is he?"

"He is in the living room waiting for you."

Jonathan walks inside and finds Daniel sitting on the couch. Daniel (four years old at this time) jumps off the couch and runs to his father. He jumps into Jonathan's arms.

"Hey daddy, how was your day?"

"It was alright. Got to see a few people get their butts kicked pretty badly."

"Ah man, I wish I could have been there to see it." Daniel says, disappointed.

"Maybe when you get a little older. When you start training next year I'll take you to the matches. How does that sound buddy?"

"You promise?"

"Pinky promise"

At that moment, Daniel's father Joseph walks into the room. He doesn't say a word but takes a seat in his recliner.

"How did the matches go?" Benjamin asks.

"About the same as they usually do. We had 15 students take the test and ten passed. Some of the students got the bright idea to challenge me before the matches. I put them in their place real quick."

"Good, that's more than normal. How many ended up in the hospital?"

"Nine I think. One of them may never walk again."

"At least no one died." Daniel lies out fully on the recliner and closes his eyes. "So where's your girlfriend?"

Jonathan is used to his father's unresponsive attitude. Joseph has been that way for as long as Jonathan can remember. But it is Joseph get straight to the point attitude that he is not used to. Jonathan is still getting used to it.

"She's still teaching her class."

Joseph just shakes his head like he is disappointed with Jonathan. It pisses Jonathan off.

"What is it dad?"

"Nothing, I just don't agree with you two living together and not being married or at least engaged."

"When are you going to ask her to marry you?" Maria butts in.

"I'm going to ask her in a month at the Annual Cerinian Festival. I want it to be kind of symbolic. As you know I'll be discharged in a month, which is the same time as the festival. To me it symbolizes the beginning of a new life." Jonathan explains.

"That's actually a little romantic. I didn't know you had it in you." Maria says sarcastically.

"Very funny mom, now if you don't mind I have to meet Fara after class. We have a date tonight."

"Alright, I won't keep you. But before you leave can you answer a question honestly?"

"Mom you know the law. I have to answer honestly."

"Ok" Maria pauses for a moment to think about how to properly ask her question. If Daniel wasn't here she wouldn't have to think about wording it carefully. "Have you and Fara ever made love together?"

Jonathan looks at his mother shocked. This is the last question he expected from her.

"No, we promised that we'd wait till we're married. We do sleep together but we haven't done anything."

"That's good enough for me. You better get going before Fara gets upset."

"You've got a good point mom. I've seen her mad, it isn't pretty. Plus, I taught her almost everything I know about Muay Thai so that makes her even deadlier."

"Then what are you doing standing here talking? Go get her."

Jonathan basically takes off running to the air field. He knows that Fara's class ends in an hour and it is eight miles away. His ship is at the air field meaning that he has to sprint to make it. Fara will be pissed off if he is late for their date.

Jonathan manages to make it to the air field with a minute to spare. He ran the entire eight mile distance. As soon as Jonathan makes it to the air field he collapses to his knees. He has hardly any energy left and he can barely breathe.

"Need a hand Jonathan (in Cerinian)?"

Jonathan turns around and sees Krystal (currently 19) and Savannah standing behind him. Krystal is the heir to the Blue Fox throne. She is also a powerful warrior, an excellent fighter pilot, and very attractive. Savannah is a Blue Cougar. Like Krystal, she is the next in line for the Blue Cougar throne. But like Jonathan, she is a fighter pilot for the Zaldon military. She is also Jonathan's former girlfriend. They started dating after Jasmine passed away. But their relationship ended badly. It surprises Jonathan to see them offering him anything. Barely a year ago, Krystal made an attempt at Jonathan by telling him about her feelings for him. Jonathan denied Krystal by telling her that she was too young and immature. The situation ended with Krystal slapping Jonathan in the face. Jonathan hasn't seen her since.

"I could use some water."

Savanna tosses Jonathan some water. Jonathan downs in less than ten seconds.

"Thank you, what are ya'll doing here?"

"We're both here to take Fara's class." Krystal answers.

"Really, no offense but I thought that ya'll would be the last two to take anything from her. I mean, after what happened the last time I saw both of you we didn't get along. I figured that both of ya'll hated me and Fara as a result."

Krystal and Savannah look at each other and laugh.

"Jonathan, what makes you think that we hate you?" Krystal says between laughs. "Sure you denied both of us a relationship with you but that doesn't mean that we can't get along. Besides, we're both good friends with Fara."

"You are?" Jonathans says surprised.

"Yes, she didn't tell you?" Savannah says.

"No" Jonathan looks at his watch and panics. "Uh I wish that I could stay here and catch up but I have to go. I gotta date with Fara and I'm late."

"Then you better get going before she gets mad. We've seen her mad, it's not pretty." Krystal says and points toward the main hangar. "Last time we saw her she was in there."

"Thank you"

Jonathan takes off running to the hangar. He finds Fara inside checking her ship. Fara still has the Arwing from her days with Star Fox. She has kept it well maintained over the past six years. During her time in the Wild Cats Squadron, Fara was able to update her Arwing, making it stronger, faster, more maneuverable, and more powerful. It has double hyper laser cannons and can carry up to six Nova bombs. Fara also painted it black during that time. She calls it the Ghost Arwing. Right next to Fara's ship is Jonathan's ship, the Phantom (based off of the real life F117 – Nighthawk). The Phantom is a stealth fighter in the terms that it has plating that prevents it from being detected on radar. The ship does not even make the slightest appearance on a radar. It has two hyper – lasers and can carry up to ten Nova bombs. Because of its stealth capabilities the Phantom has been used as a bomber. It carries up to ten precision missiles and JDAM bombs that can be used on ground targets. Both the Ghost Arwing and the Phantom are equipped with the Ghost Program. The Ghost Program is a new cloaking system that can be installed in Starfighters. It is the first program that allows ships to fire their weapons while cloaked, giving the pilots a huge advantage in battle.

Fara doesn't see Jonathan enter the hangar. Jonathan decides to sneak up on her. He slowly and quietly approaches Fara from behind. Jonathan sneaks up right behind Fara and whispers in her ear. "What's up beautiful?"

Fara spins around and attempts to strike Jonathan in the head. Jonathan barely blocks Fara's attack. She comes within inches of striking him.

"Getting closer" Jonathan says sarcastically.

"I was your best student, and you're late"

"I'm really sorry, the matches took a little longer than I thought they would."

"As long as you got a good a reason." Fara replies then walks back to her ship. "So where are we going tonight?"

"I'm taking you to sunset point."

"Alright, but there's just one problem with that. I'm not built for the cold like you are Johnny."

Jonathan's people, the Black Wolves, are originally native to the planet Zathora. Zathora is an ice world. On a lucky day it may get to the single digits. The temperature usually stays between -60 and -20 degrees. To stay warm the Black Wolves have adapted to having long fur and thick skin. When they came to Cerinia the Black Wolves built their society into Cerinia's snow covered mountains. Fara, being a Fennec Fox, is built for the exact opposite kind of weather. She doesn't like cold weather very much.

"That's why I told you to bring a coat. You did bring a coat didn't you?"

Fara climbs into the Ghost Arwing and pulls out a coat then jumps back down.

"Alright, are you ready to go?" Jonathan asks.

Fara grabs Jonathan hand and kisses him on the lips.

"Ready when you are?"

Jonathan is awakened by someone a knock on the door. He groggily opens his eyes and looks at Fara lying next to him. Jonathan cannot take his eyes off her. Fara is an absolutely stunning vixen. Jonathan is attracted to her beautiful blue eyes, her sweet and attractive face and body, her sand colored fur, her short blond hair, and her unusually long ears. Though most people find Fara's long ears a little weird, Jonathan thinks they make her look adorable. But Jonathan will not say that Fara is cut to her face, she finds it offensive and demining. To Jonathan, she is one of the most beautiful creatures to ever live. Jonathan smiles remembering the fun night they had together. They cuddled and kissed a lot but that's all they did. Jonathan and Fara both want to take it further but remember the promises they've made to wait till marriage. Jonathan looks at the clock next to the bed, 3:24 am. He tries to go back to sleep thinking that the person at the door will go away. But his hopes are dashed with Daniel comes running into the room, waking up Fara.

"This had better be good son." Jonathan says sleepily.

"Bobcat's is at the door."

"Alright, tell him I'll be there in a minute." Jonathan says and slowly gets up.

Jonathan walks to the door and standing there is Colonel Bobcat Harrison, leader of the Wild Cats Squadron and a close personal friend to Jonathan and Fara. Bobcat is small in size, standing only 5'6" (being a Bobcat), but carries a lot of command and respect.

"How you doing Johnny?"

"Good, until you woke me up?" Jonathan replies sarcastically.

"Sorry about that Johnny but this is very important. Our unit is called into action."

"Serious, I only got a month before retirement. Couldn't command wait a month?"

"Trust me I wish they could. I want to see you retired safely. But command says that this is important. Fortunately they said that this mission will take only a couple of weeks. By the way, do you know where Fara is? I heard that she was living here now but I can't find her."

"Fara's living with me and Daniel. And to answer your next question we are not having sex."

"Ok" Bobcat says nervously and suspiciously. "How soon can you and Fara be ready to deploy?"

"Soon, just let us get packed and drop Daniel off at my parents."

"Alright, I'll be at the air field waiting for you."

An hour later, Jonathan and Fara arrive at the air field packed and ready to go. Daniel is with them along with Maria and Joseph. Bobcat is standing next to his ship the Striker (based off the real life F – 35 Lightning II), the standard ship for the Wild Cats Squadron. The Striker has relatively low armor but makes up for it with its speed, maneuverability, and high grade weaponry. Each Striker in the Wild Cats Squadron is equipped with the Ghost Program.

"What took you guys so long?" Bobcat shouts sarcastically.

"It took us a while to everything packed. We weren't expecting to get called up." Fara shouts back.

"I told Jonathan that I was sorry but I don't have a say in the matter. Now load up guys, we have to be on Zaldon by the 2000."

Fara and Bobcat immediately jump into their ships and take off. Jonathan stays behind for a moment. Joseph and Maria stop him.

"Jonathan, what are you going to do with Daniel while you and Fara are on your mission?" Maria asks.

"What I usually do."

Ever since Daniel was born, Jonathan has taken Daniel with him when he has been called into action. That a way Jonathan gets to see Daniel more often than he would if he left Daniel on Cerinia. Since Jonathan and Bobcat are good friends, Daniel usually stays with Bobcat's family. They got no problem looking out for Daniel while Jonathan is out on missions.

"How long do you plan on being gone?" Joseph asks.

"Bobcat didn't say anything specifically. He said maybe a week or two. I should be back in time for the festival."

"You better be Jonathan." Joseph says. "You missed last year's festival so you're obligated to make it this time."

"Don't worry dad, we'll be back safe and sound."

Jonathan climbs into the Phantom along with Daniel. Daniel sits on Jonathan's lap to make room. They blast off after Fara and Bobcat, who are waiting in the atmosphere for them.

"What took you guys so long?" Fara shouts in the radio.

"I had to say goodbye before I left."

Jonathan, Bobcat, and Fara blast into warp speed towards Zaldon. They should arrive in fourteen hours. In Jonathan's mind is the thought that something bad is about to happen to Cerinian. Jonathan doesn't know what it is but the thought doesn't go away. He just hopes that the thought is just a thought.

**I am sorry for not going into much detail on Cerinia's culture and environment. I want to leave that to the readers' imagination. But try to imagine that the Blue Foxes and the Blue Cougar gave a peaceful society similar to that of the Chinese Monks, while the Black Wolves is a combination of Viking and Samurai. As far as outfits go, try to imagine that the Blue Foxes and Blue Cougars are wearing similar outfits to the outfit that Krystal wore in **_**Star Fox Adventures**_**. The Black Wolves on the other hand wear brown, leather outfits, similar to what cavemen wore. As far as Fara goes, she wears the same outfit that she wore in the 1992 Star Fox Comic. And as far as language, try to imagine that the Black Wolves speak primarily English while the Blue Foxes and Blue Cougars speak primary Cerinian. All three clans speak both English and Cerinian. I am sorry if I caused any confusion. Hopefully the action in the next chapter will make up for it.**


	3. Chapter 2 The Crocodiles are Back

**The Cerinian language is spoken throughout this entire chapter. I don't know the Cerinian language and don't want to waste the time learning it or making it up. So for those or you reading this you'll have to imagine that the characters are speaking Cerinian, even though it is written in English. The only characters that speak English in this chapter are the Crocodiles. I am sorry for you Star Fox fans that love the Cerinian language. Also I know that I in the previous chapter that there would be action in this chapter. I'm keeping my word but the beginning of this chapter still has some descriptions. I'll make it quick.**

Chapter 2: The Crocodiles are Back

Almost a month later . . .

Savannah and Krystal are on their way to the Annual Cerinian Festival. With them is Savannah's cousin Elizabeth and her son Ezekiel. For some reason, their group feels a little small to them. The main reason is that they both Krystal's older sister Jasmine. The four of them, excluding Ezekiel (he wasn't born at the time) used to hang out together. During that time, Jonathan and his older brother Triton were part of the group. The six of them naturally blended together. All six of them were children of the Cerinian clan leaders so they knew each other pretty well. There was some arguing between the girls on which of them would marry Jonathan and Triton. Eventually Jasmine married Jonathan and Elizabeth married Triton. When Jasmine passed away giving birth to Daniel she left a hole in everyone's heart. Daniel eventually took her place. Triton and Elizabeth's relationship didn't end well either, even though they had Ezekiel (who is currently eleven), making him a Blue Cougar and Black Wolf hybrid. Elizabeth divorced Triton a year after Ezekiel was born. Triton disappeared soon after that. But despite their differences, Elizabeth and Ezekiel miss Triton. Elizabeth wishes that Triton could be there for their son, she still loves him. Savannah left the group for a few years to pursue a career in the Zaldon military. She made a name for herself as a talented fighter pilot and a sniper. Savannah currently has the record for longest confirmed killed shot, 1.54 miles. But Savannah's military career came to an end when she broke her CO's jaw for sexually harassing her. Now Savannah is back.

The Annual Cerinian Festival is a two week long celebration. During those two weeks, all of the Cerinians get together to celebrate peace and family. It is the most joyous celebration of the year, mostly because it is one of the few times when all three clans are completely together. Usually the clans stay in their own societies on their part of the planet but still socialize with each other. However, this year's Festival is not a peaceful or joyous one.

The Festival starts at sunrise with the entire Cerinian society gathering together before the council. Savannah, Krystal, Elizabeth and Ezekiel gather at the front of the crowd. The Cerinian elders step up to address the crowd. But before they can a word something appears in the sky. It appears to be some kind of meteor. It is moving closer to their planet.

"What is that thing?" Elizabeth shouts.

Krystal uses her telepathic abilities to determine what it is.

"It's not a meteor, it's some kind of ship. There are thousands of life forms aboard. I can't tell what species they are or what they are doing here."

As the object gets closer, Savannah military experience tells her what it is.

"Oh crap, that's an invasion ship."

The ship crashes into a small island located a mile off the shore. The impact shakes the planet and throws up a storm of dust. The dust blinds the Cerinians. Through the dust, Savannah notices small transport ships detach from the main ship. Several of the ships fly over to the Cerinian festival. The ships fire on the crowd, killing several Cerinians. Suddenly out of the transport ships jump out hundreds of well-armed Crocodile soldiers. They are armed with powerful carbine with chainsaw – like bayonets. The Cerinians immediately disappear into the surrounding landscape.

An hour later, a thousand Crocodiles soldiers are standing in the Cerinian festival. Not a single Cerinian, except dead ones, are anywhere near the area. The Crocodiles believe that they have defeated the Cerinians. They are so confident that they have withdrawn all of their ships back to the command ship. The Commanders are determining their next battlefield strategy. But unbeknownst to them, hundreds of Cerinians are circling around them. The gathering area is surrounded by forests on two sides, a stone wall on one side, and the sea to the other. The Crocodiles have unknowingly trapped themselves in a kill zone. The Blue Foxes and the Blue Cougars stealthily set up fire lines on both sides of the Crocodiles. They are armed with the Cerinian Power Staffs (these staffs possess the same abilities as Krystal's staff from _Star Fox Adventures_). The Black Wolves are making their way towards the Crocodiles where they can use their hand to hand combat skills and their swords. The Black Wolves are dressed for war. All their wearing is their pants to show off their muscles. Their bodies are covered with red war paint to symbolize and look like blood. They look like Demons. It is a scare tactic that the Black Wolves have used for centuries. The stone wall allows the Black Wolves to drop onto the pillars that surround the gathering area. These pillars allows them to drop down on the Crocodiles from above and engage them in hand to hand combat. Joseph leads the Black Wolves to their positions. All three hundred Black Wolves manage to make it to their position undetected. Joseph waves to the nearest wolf to him.

"Tell the others to jump on my command. And remember show no mercy for you shall receive none." Joseph whispers.

Joseph draws his sword then jumps. He lands on top of a Crocodile, breaking his spine, and at the same time, slashing another. The remaining Wolves jump on the Crocodiles like rain from above. At their cue, the Blue Foxes and the Blue Cougars open fire on the Crocodiles, they carefully aim so they don't hit any of the Black Wolves. The ambush catches the Crocodiles completely off guard. Hundreds of Crocodiles are killed in the first minute. Then the Blue Foxes and Blue Cougars rush into the battle. The three clans fight like demons with no fear of death. At this range, the Crocodiles blasters are ineffective but their bayonets are not. But it is not enough to fight off the Cerinians.

Joseph finishes slaying off two Crocodiles with a single slash. He turns and sees a Crocodile coming from behind. The Crocodile tries to stab Joseph from behind but Joseph blocks it, spins around behind the Crocodile, and then breaks his neck with a gelatin choke. He then stabs another Crocodile in the back then pulls it out, the curved blades on the back of his sword rip and pull his insides out. A Crocodile on Joseph's left manages to land a cut on his side. Joseph feels the pain but barely acknowledges it. He grabs the Crocodiles rifle and stabs him in the face. Another Crocodile rushes towards him from his right. Joseph slices the Crocodile vertically from his head to his neck, cutting him in half vertically. Joseph then notices a Blue Fox in trouble with three Crocodiles. Joseph pulls out a knife and throws it at the Crocodile. The knife hits the Crocodile in the back of the head, killing him instantly. Joseph then rushes to help the Fox. One of the Crocodiles sees Joseph coming and engages him. Joseph cuts his down easily. The Fox kills the other Crocodile.

"Thank you sir"

"No problem"

Out of the corner of his eye, Joseph sees a fellow Black Wolf take a Crocodile stab in the chest. Joseph, infuriated by losing one of his own, which has always pissed him off, rushes at the Crocodile. He stabs the Crocodile in the back. The Crocodile collapses to his knees as Joseph pulls out his sword. Joseph finishes the Crocodile off by cutting off his head. Joseph runs to his fellow wolf and comforts him in his final seconds. The wolf turns out to be Xerxes, Joseph's closest friend. Xerxes tries to gather to strength to say something.

"Joseph, looks like I finally gained my honorable death. I was starting to think that I was going to live forever. I just wish that I could say goodbye to my family before I go."

"Don't worry my friend. I'll tell them you died honorably."

"Thank you old friend."

Xerxes breaths his last breath then dies in Joseph's arms. A tear runs down his cheek.

Out of the corner of his eye, Joseph sees several of the Crocodiles try to run away. But they are stopped Blue Cougars, who shoot and kill them before they can surrender. The Cerinians are known for not taking any prisoners, especially when people have wronged them. Joseph can't help but smile. Joseph hears a Crocodile come running up behind him. Joseph spins around and cuts the Crocodiles weapon in half. The Crocodile throws down what's left of his weapon then holds up his hands.

"Please show mercy."

Joseph stares the Crocodile down. "Sorry all out of mercy (in English)." Joseph roundhouses the Crocodile in the head, breaking his neck.

In just five minutes, the Crocodiles are defeated. Almost a thousand Crocodiles are dead. Those that are still alive retreat back to the island their ship landed on. Though it was a major victory for the Cerinians, it was a costly victory. Even though only 64 Cerinians died in the battle, each was a close friend. On top of that, nearly 500 Cerinians were killed in the Crocodiles attack.

Meanwhile Savannah, Krystal, Elizabeth, and Ezekiel are with the Blue Foxes that are not in battle. They were ordered to stay away from the battle and keep the others safe. Krystal can tell that something is bothering Savannah. "What's bothering you Savannah?"

"This whole situation. While we may defeat these Crocodiles, all we'll do is push them back and given them a chance to regroup."

"So what do you think we should do?"

"We should kill their Commander. I still got my sniper rifle and spotting scope. We can get them and I can kill their Commander."

"And what good would that do?"

"It'll deplete their morale and eliminate their chain of command. That should be enough to make them leave."

"But we were ordered to stay here and protect our people." Krystal exclaims.

"And now you got new orders." Savannah and Krystal turn around and see Krystal's mother, Sapphire, standing behind them. "I agree with Savannah so I'm giving you both permission to take out their commander."

"Thank you" Savannah says then she and Krystal take off.

An hour later, Savannah and Krystal come to a secret path in the Cerinian Mountains. The tunnel is an old escape route that has existed for almost a thousand years. It is a last chance escape option in case an evacuation is needed. But this is the first time it's been used as a counterattack. The path is a natural trail that leads through the mountains. Savannah and Krystal follow the trail for three miles.

Savannah suddenly hears something moving up ahead. "Hold up" Savanah signals for Krystal to drop to the ground. Savannah and Krystal fall to the ground and take cover. Neither of them moves. They stay on the ground for a long time. Krystal doesn't see or hear any movement. She starts to get up but Savannah stops her and points to their left. Ten yards away are two Crocodiles. They are just standing there talking and blocking the trail.

"What do we do?" Krystal whispers.

Savannah doesn't say a word. She just watches the two Crocodiles talking to each other. Krystal starts getting agitated. She starts to sit up and aim her staff at one but Savannah stops her.

"What are you doing?" Savannah angrily whispers.

"I was going to take them out. There's only two of them."

"No, there's at least ten of them. Just listen very carefully."

Krystal listens and hears at least ten more voices coming from the other side of the hill. She realizes that her actions could have gotten her and Savannah killed.

"What do we do?" Krystal asks.

Savannah looks around for a while way around the Crocodiles.

"We can backtrack for a little bit and work our way around them. But we will have to be very quiet and you will do everything I tell you when I tell you, understand?"

"Of course"

Savannah and Krystal head back a quarter of a mile then carefully make their way around the Crocodiles. Along the way they spot several Crocodile soldiers patrolling their conquered territory. Their presence worries Krystal.

"So what are you plans for getting us out of here once you kill their commander? These soldiers are going to be on to us after you fire."

"Simple we stay where we set up. There is a spot on the trail where we can get a clear shot and be undetected afterwards. From there we will watch these bastards leave our world."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, you got nothing to worry about."

Savannah and Krystal come to a part of the trail where they have to cross open ground. They could be easily spotted and killed. But Savannah knows exactly what to do. She gets down as close as she can to the ground and slowly inches her way across the open ground, a technique called the snipers crawl. Krystal follows Savannah closely and does exactly what she does. It takes Savannah and Krystal ten minutes to crawl fifty yards. But they are successful.

"That was such a pain in the butt Savannah. Couldn't we have just ran through the field and not have been detected?"

"Not without getting detected. If we get detected we're dead."

Savannah and Krystal finally make it to the sniping point. The position is situated on a bluff on the mountains that overlooks the island that the Crocodiles are using as a base. There is only one command ship on the island, which surprises Savannah and Krystal. They expected the Crocodiles to have more than one ship for an invasion. The position is a small opening in the surface of the mountains. A fallen tree is situated nearby with its roots providing a natural cover and conceal position. Savannah and Krystal crawl under the roots and set up. Savannah prepares her sniper rifle and waits for Krystal to prepare the spotting scope. Krystal has no idea how to operate it and it is obvious to Savannah.

"Krystal, just set the scope on this root, points it towards the Crocodiles, and look for anyone that looks like they could be their commander."

Krystal obeys Savannah's orders to the letter. The spotting scope has a better range than Savanah's sniper rifle, giving Krystal a better chance of identifying the target.

"I think I've found him. He's the one on top of the rock giving orders."

Savannah finds the target in her scope. Sure enough there is a Crocodile standing on a rock giving orders like a tyrant.

"That's definitely our guy. He appears to be very confident, like he has us defeated. How about we knock this jackass down a peg or two?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Alright, now tell me how far he is?"

Krystal looks at Savannah with a blank look on her face.

"Push the green button and it'll give you an exact measurement."

"Krystal pushes the button and quickly gets the distance.

"He is two thousand two hundred and seventeen yards away. Do you think you can make that shot?"

"Easily, now just before I pull the trigger I will say firing. That a way the sound of the shot doesn't scare you."

"Alright"

Savannah carefully aims at the target. She adjusts for distance and wind. Savannah prepares to fire.

"Firing"

Savannah fires and feels the recoil of her rifle. It feels good and very familiar to her, like embracing an old friend.

Krystal doesn't see the round fly through the air. But she does see it hit the target dead center in the chest. The round travels so fast and hits so hard that it pierces through the target like a knife through butter. Krystal sees the Crocodile Commander collapse. He is dead before he hits the ground.

"Holy crap, you got him."

"Told you, now keep the scope pointed at the enemy. I want to know what they're doing."

"Ok, their just standing around looking at each other like they got no idea what to do."

"Give it a minute."

Sure enough the Crocodiles forces start evacuating. Within an hour all Crocodiles forces are gone.

"Wow, you were right. So now what do we do?" Krystal asks.

"We head back and see what the extent of the damage is."

Savannah and Krystal make it back just in time. The Cerinian Council are meeting to discuss their response to the Crocodiles attack. On their way to the meeting, they pass by the funeral service. The Cerinians deal with their dead by putting them in small canoes and then pushing them out to sea. Then using the fire blasters ability on their staff, they set the boats on fire from a distance and watch the fire burn the boat and the dead. This is done to honor the dead, especially those that die in battle.

The Council includes Jonathan's parents, Noah and Sapphire (Krystal parents and leaders of the Blue Foxes), Samuel and Veronica (Savannah's parents and leaders of the Blue Cougars), and fifteen other respectable members of Cerinia's society. The Crocodile attack destroyed much of Cerinia. But the Cerinians were able to hold the Crocodiles back and save ¾'s of their planet. The Council is trying to figure out how to deal with the attack. They know that they cannot just let it slide. The Crocodiles are sure to return, and in greater numbers. But the Black Wolves are in the dark completely. They do not know that about the Crocodiles. That war took place fifty years before the Black Wolves arrives on Cerinia. The Cerinians have to feel them in on the war and the Exodus. Savannah and Krystal stand by and watch the meeting. As the meeting progresses it becomes clear that the council is unaware that the Crocodiles have left. They believe that the Crocodiles have pulled back to the island to regroup.

"Honorable leaders, I have something to report." Savannah says getting attention.

Everyone looks at Savannah. They signal for Savannah to speak.

"The Crocodiles have left the planet. Krystal and I watched them leave."

"That is after Savannah killed their commander." Krystal adds.

"And how did you kill their commander?" Samuel asks.

"I sniped him from the Mountain Pass."

"Impressive, so our planet is safe now." Joseph remarks.

"No, the Crocodiles are sure to return and in bigger numbers. They are not the kind of people to just give up." Noah says.

At that moment, two Cerinian soldiers burst through the doors carrying a Crocodile soldier.

"Honorable council, we found this guy trying to sneak past our forces. We thought that it'd be best to bring him before you."

The Cerinians soldiers bring the Crocodile to the middle of the room and force him to his knees.

"Council, with permission I would like the opportunity to question him?" Savannah asks.

"You have our permission."

Savannah walks in front of the Crocodile and speaks to him in English. "So do you want to tell me what you know or are we going to have to do this the hard way?" The Crocodile spits in her face. Savannah whips the spit off her face like it is nothing. "Ok, so we do this the hard way. I tried to warn you."

Savannah's people, the Blue Cougar's possess a unique ability. Her people are telepathic like the Blue Foxes. The Blue Foxes can read thought patterns and detect energy patterns, which enables them to determine a person's weakness. They also can detect distress signals from across the system. The Blue Cougars can access every part of a person's mind just by simply looking in their eyes, even their darkest secrets and repressed memories. They can also destroy a person's mind by causing hallucinations. Savannah has personally made a person to commit suicide by causing hallucinations in their mind.

Savannah just looks into the Crocodile's eyes and finds out everything she needs to know within seconds. Just for laughs, she causes the Crocodiles darkest fears to come alive in his mind. The Crocodile pees himself.

"It's worse than we thought." Savannah exclaims. "This attack was just a test of our strength. Their forces are ten times larger than the one that attacked us. The Crocodiles do not want to conquer our world, they want to destroy it. But that is not the worse part. The Crocodiles are looking for the Exodus."

The Council just look at each other. They all know that the situation is bad. But none of them knows how to respond or what to do.

Joseph finally comes up with something. "We need to find the Exodus before the Crocodiles do."

"Are you mad Joseph?" Samuel shouts. "The Exodus is far too powerful for any civilization to have. It could destroy our entire society. On top of that, we don't know where it is. The ones that hid it took their secret to their graves. We don't stand a chance of finding it."

"That is not true father." Savanah shouts. "When I was in the military I came across a technology that can track electrical energy sources. If I can get my hands on it we should be able to find it before the Crocodiles."

"That may be so Savannah, but you're forgetting that we simply do not have the men or the resource to undertake such a search. The Crocodiles will return, and when they do we'll need every soldier we have to fight them." Samuel shouts back.

"But we do have someone who can help us find the Exodus."

"What are you talking about Savannah?" Veronica asks.

"I'm referring to Jonathan and Fara. They should be finishing up their service right about now. I can find them and fill them in on everything. They will help without a doubt. We can look for the Exodus while you prepare for the inevitable battle. All I need is your permission and I will find them. I will not let you down."

The Council thinks about Savannah's proposal for an hour. It is a torn decision. Half of the council agree with Savannah and the other half doesn't. The council member that weighs the majority vote can't decide. According to Cerinian law, there needs to a majority vote, otherwise the proposal fails.

An hour later, Savannah is sitting by her ship thinking about what to do. Savannah flies a ship called the Wolverine (based off the real life SR-71 Blackbird). It is the fastest ship in the Genesis System. Its speed works as a defense as well as an offense. The Wolverine can travel faster than missiles and bombs, meaning that all Savannah has to do to save herself against a missile is to simply increase speed. Veronica walks by and sees Savannah sitting there sulking.

"Sorry about your father, you know how he can be."

"I know, but he needs to think about what's best for our people. We can't just sit around waiting for the Crocodiles to find the Exodus, which they will. We're basically just waiting for the Crocodiles to destroy us."

"I agree with you completely, which is why I'm giving you permission to look for the Exodus."

"Mom you know I can't do that without permission from the Council."

"Well you don't know that there is a way around that. According to our law, you need permission from three council members to take on a mission. You got permission from ten council members."

"Thanks mom"

Savannah hugs her mother to thank her.

"You're welcome, now get going before your father finds out."

Savannah jumps into the Wolverine and blasts off for Zaldon without hesitation.

**Savannah sounds a little rebellious doesn't she? I thought that it would add some flavor to the story. The story is getting interesting isn't it? For those of you that know about the ultimate fate of Cerinia, you may think that you know where this is going. But I assure you that you have no idea. Continue to read and I promise that you will like how the story progresses and how it ends. **


	4. Chapter 3 Pirate Hunt

**Hope you enjoyed the last chapter and that it was enough action to make up for all of the descriptions. If it wasn't then keep reading, this chapter is almost entirely action. But this chapter is more than just filled with action. It provides a little insight into the power of the Zaldon Military, give you some information on what happened to Fara Phoenix after her relationship with Fox McCloud, and a little background information on Panther Caruso. He is not physically in the chapter but he is mentioned. As a little heads up, Jonathan will be called either Johnny or John throughout the chapter. Those are the names he goes by outside of Cerinia.**

Chapter 3: Pirate Hunt

Meanwhile in space a good distance away from Cerinia . . .

King Alexander Croc is waiting for the report of the Cerinian attack. He is on his personnel carrier. Alexander has been waiting for a long time. He is not known for his patience. People that try his patience usually end up dead. Alexander is known for his cruelty. His thirty year reign over the Crocodiles have proved that. Anyone that stands in his ways is eliminated. He even killed his own brother and father to get the throne. The only thing that he hates more than waiting is the Cerinians. Alexander feels like the Cerinians cheated his people out of their right of controlling the universe. Now this is more about revenge than anything else. Alexander is about to get upset when one of his commanders enters his throne room.

"Sir, I have information on the Cerinian invasion."

"About f (blank) time. How did the invasion go?'

"Terrible sir, our forces were devastated. We were ambushed and our forces were almost entirely whipped we. But we were able to discover that there are now three clans living on Cerinia. The new clan appears to be some kind of wolf clan. But your nephew was also killed in the battle as well."

"How" Alexander replies in disbelief.

"He was killed by a sniper sir. By what I saw sir the Cerinians have gotten much stronger. If we are going to defeat them we are going to need the Exodus. That much is certain."

"Tell me, what happened exactly."

"Yes sir. We landed our invasion craft on a small island and detached our transport ships. The Cerinians were having some kind of celebration so they were all gathered in one area. We opened fire on the crowd and killed many of them. The Cerinians dispersed and disappeared. We then landed our troops in the area and set up a camp there. But after an hour the Cerinians launched a counterattacked. I know this may sound hard to believe but out of nowhere, several hundred Cerinians appeared. They dropped on us from above and slaughtered us. They fought like demons with no fear of death. They killed everything and everyone, even those that surrendered. Our men didn't stand a chance against these things. I have never seen anything like it. This new clan is very deadly and powerful. They did most of the hand to hand fighting."

Alexander considers his options. By what his subordinate have reported, the Cerinians have become a force to reckon with. But then again that is why he sent that force to Cerinian, to see what they are capable of. He could care less about the men he lost. He can always get more men.

Meanwhile on Zaldon . . .

Jonathan and Fara are finishing out their service. It is taking longer than Colonel Bobcat Harrison said it would. The mission, as it turns out, was a pirate hunt. Pirates have been causing problem in the Genesis System for years. The Government has appointed the Wild Cats Squadron to eliminate the problem. So far they've been very successful. They've taken out all but one pirate mother ship. This last one has been hidden pretty well.

The Wild Cats are currently in mission brief. Nine people are in the room. Everyone is seated by a chain of command with higher ranking members seated towards the front. Jonathan, being a Captain and second in command, is seated at the front of the room with Lieutenant Gilbert Cross (a German shepherd). Other than Bobcat, they are the only officers on the team. Seated behind them are the enlisted officers: Staff Sergeant Shane Wilson (a Doberman), Sergeant Major Brian Grieves (a Mastiff), and Master Sergeant Michael Lazlo (an Alligator). Seated behind them is Corporal Fara Phoenix, Sergeant Kris Carter (a Panther), Sergeant Craig Nelson (a Lynx), and Corporal Dean Marks (a Chameleon).

Colonel Bobcat Harrison enters the room and Jonathan jumps up. "Officer on deck." Everyone stands up and salutes him. Colonel Bobcat walks to the front of the room.

"As you were." Everyone sits down.

"Ok guys, I know that most of ya'll are tired of hunting pirates. Well I have good news and bad news. The good news, after this mission we'll be done and Johnny and Fara will be officially retired. We're all going to miss them." Johnny and Fara receive several high fives and amens. "The bad news is that we have no idea where it is. But this mission is going to change that."

Bobcat turns towards the monitor, turns off the lights, and turns on the monitor. An Ape's picture appears on the screen. Several of the Wild Cats recognize him as Bruce Campbell, a very wealthy and influential figure in the Zaldon society. But he is also one of the most treacherous citizens. Everyone knows it but no one has been able to prove it.

"This is Bruce Campbell, our target. We know that he is pirate synthesizer. This is our chance to catch him in the act. We have viable intel that he is meeting with some pirates in the Zaldon subway station. The problem is we don't know what they look like. But all we need is to identify Bruce and he will lead us to the pirates. After that we just track these scumbags to their ship and destroy it. So far this mission I am assigning Storm, Phoenix, and Carter to this mission. You three will go to the subway station and identify the pirates. Any questions?"

Johnny raises his hand. "I know why you are putting me and Fara on this task. But I don't understand why Carter as well. I don't have anything against him, it's just that he doesn't have any experience with this sort of thing."

Carter was recruited onto the Squadron only a few months ago. He was a replaced for Panther Caruso. Panther was a talented member of the team and a close friend to Johnny. They respected each other. But Johnny didn't like Panther's ego or his womanizing attitude. Panther had a large ego that bothered everyone. But what was more annoying was that he was constantly looking to get laid. He even tried to get Fara in bed but failed. Fara was already devoted to Johnny. While Carter is a talented fighter he is certainly no Panther Caruso.

"He needs experience, this is the best way to get it." Colonel Bobcat says.

"Alright, as long as he doesn't mess everything up." Johnny replies reluctantly.

Fara notices Carter glaring at Johnny. It is too dark for Johnny to see Carter glaring at him. Everyone knows that Johnny doesn't like Carter but no one says anything.

Fara can't help but smirk at Bobcat's choice of putting Johnny on this mission. It's not his skill that could offset the mission, it is his appearance. This mission will require them blending in and Johnny doesn't exactly blend in. Being a Black Wolf, Johnny is a rare species. They are not very common outside of Cerinia. His hair is unusual. Johnny as a military crew cut and a pony tail combination. His pony tail is the only part of his hair that has never been cut, it extends all the way down to his butt. To the Black Wolves, their hair is seen as one's honor. As a result, a Black Wolf will never cut his hair. When Johnny joined the academy, he was allowed to keep part of his hair. Even the clothes Johnny wears are out of the ordinary. Outside of Cerinia, Johnny wears a black combat suit, a Kevlar vest, a black berate, aviator sunglasses, and a skull face bandana (similar to what the character Ghost wore in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2). Strapped to his side is the Black Wolf sword and a HPC (Handheld Plasma Cannon). The HPC is a smaller version of the Plasma Cannon that can be fired with one hand, though it is not recommended due to its recoil. Johnny will have to change his entire appearance for this mission to succeed. But Fara also understands why Bobcat choose Johnny for this mission. It is the ability that his people possess. Like the Blue Foxes and the Blue Cougars, Cerinia's spiritual energy has affected them. The Black Wolves possess an ability called the Wolf Sense. Primarily, it allows them to read people's exact emotions. They can tell how a person is truly feeling no matter how hard they try to hide it. It can even tell them how the person will react specifically. It allows them to tell if the person is telling the truth and if they are a friend or an enemy. There is an advanced state of the Wolf Sense that allows the Black Wolves to predict the exact moves that their opponent will attempt in a fight before they make them. A very useful gift in a fight. However, almost all Black Wolves can only use this state on one opponent at a time. There are a select few that can read multiple opponents at once, Johnny being one of them. This ability has served Johnny very well during his time in the Wild Cats Squadron.

Three hours later Johnny, Fara, and Carter are standing in the center of the Zaldon subway station. Johnny and Fara are posing as two love birds that do not care about public display of affection. Johnny is wearing normal civilian clothes for once. Fara is also dressed out of her character. She is wearing a slim, red dress. Fara, being a tomboy, is very uncomfortably in a dress or makeup. Johnny is not complaining, he likes Fara's current appearance, though he doesn't say it to Fara's face. Carter is posing as a homeless man on a bench. He is dressed in rags. All three of them are armed with small pistols just in case things go wrong. Johnny and Fara are standing in the center on the station passionately kissing each other. Johnny is facing Bruce, who is standing in a dark corner of the station. His sunglasses prevent the people around him from seeing his green eyes, which glow when he is using the Wolf Sense and turn red when he is using its advanced state. He is supposed to be keeping an eye on Bruce. But his current tongue war with Fara is proving to be a distraction. Carter is ten yards away from Bruce. He is lying on a bench pretending to be drunk. Fara sees this an opportunity to ask Johnny a question. "So Johnny, when are you going to ask me to marry you?" Fara whispers in Johnny's ear.

Fara's question catches Johnny off guard. "Do we really have to talk about this here?"

"I'm just curious, you love me and I love you, so the next step is to get married."

Fara has been bugging Johnny about getting married for several months. Johnny wants to tell her that he is going to propose to her once this mission is completed, but he wants it to be a surprise.

"Soon"

Out of the corner of his eye, Johnny sees three men approach Bruce. All three are large Apes. They speak to Bruce but Johnny is too far away to hear what they are saying. Johnny uses his Wolf Sense to determine if these three Apes are the pirates, it confirms that they are.

"Mission is a go, I repeat mission is a go." Johnny radios Carter and Colonel Bobcat, who is at mission control.

Johnny and Fara stop kissing and make their way towards Bruce and the pirates. They look at each other and not at Bruce to avoid suspension. Carter stands and walks towards Bruce. But he makes the mistake of looking directly at one of the pirates. Carter's eyes tell the pirate everything. The pirate draws his pistol and aims at Carter. Carter immediately ducks behind a column for cover.

"Our cover is blown, we need to get out of here." The pirate shouts and fires at Carter.

The three pirates take off running. One runs toward the parking lot, the other two towards the trains. Bruce pulls out his pistol and fires at Carter. Carter pulls out his pistol and shoots Bruce twice in the chest and once in the head. Bruce is dead before he hits the ground.

"Dang it Carter" Johnny shouts.

Johnny and Fara take off running towards the pirates. Johnny takes command of the situation.

"Carter, stay here and control the crowd. Fara I want you to go after the guy that ran towards the parking lot. I'll take the other two."

Fara chases the pirate out of the building and into the parking lot. The pirate sees Fara chasing him and shoots at her. Fara takes cover behind a car and draws her pistol. She tries to get a shot off but the pirate has her pinned.

"Come on, make it easier on yourself and give up." Fara shouts.

"I would rather cut my own balls off." The pirate shouts back and fires again.

"Alright, have it your way."

Fara jumps up, fires, and hits the pirate in the leg. The pirate falls to the ground in pain. Fara tries to approach him but the pirate shoots at her. Fara jumps back behind the car.

"Persistent little scumbag isn't he."

A car comes out of nowhere. The pirate slowly and painfully stands up and stops the car. He grabs the driver and throws him out. Fara jumps out of her hiding place. The pirate tries to get away. Fara shoots at his tires, blowing two of them out. The car crashes violently into a pillar. Fara carefully approaches the car with his gun aimed at the pirate. She finds the pirate unconscious. Fara is about to grab him when she notices that the car is on fire. She grabs the pirates and pulls him out quickly. Fara carries him a good distance away from the car and waits for the explosion. She jumps behind a wall for cover. The car eventually explodes violently, shaking the ground. Fara can feel the shock waves from the explosion.

Johnny chases the pirates to a train that is scheduled to leave for Moldova. The crowd parts for the pirates because they are waving their weapons around and threatening to kill people. The train suddenly starts to move. The first pirate jumps and manages to make it on board. The second pirate stops to fire at Johnny but misses. Johnny fires and hits the pirate in the shoulder. He is not trying to kill the pirates, this is one of the few missions where they banned from killing. The pirate jumps onto the train and makes it as well. Johnny knows that he has to make it or the pirates will get away. But he has to jump a great distance to make it. The train is two hundred feet above to ground so missing would kill him. Johnny runs as fast as he can then jumps. He has to grab the last car by the railing. Johnny hangs over the edge as the train lifts off into space. He pulls himself up and into the car. Johnny then proceeds from car to car looking for the pirates. Being the Apes are rare species on Zaldon, finding them shouldn't be a problem. The first three cars that Johnny comes to he doesn't find the pirates. The fourth car is a transfer car. The only thing in there are bathrooms and soda fountains. Johnny is about to leave the car when he sees blood on the wall. The blood leads Johnny to a bathroom. Johnny is about to kick down the door when the pirate that he shot jumps out and tries to stab him. Johnny grabs the pirate's knife arm and breaks it. He finishes the pirate off with a palm strike to the nose. The strike sends the pirate's nose into his brain, killing him instantly. Johnny then proceeds to the next car. He finds the car in complete chaos. The pirate has taken a female hostage. He is using her as a human shield. Johnny aims at the pirate but doesn't fire.

"Let her go" Johnny demands.

"No way man. Back off and drop your gun or I will blow her brains out."

The woman is crying and begging Johnny to back off. Johnny knows that this is a bad idea. As soon as he drops his gun the pirate will probably shot him and kill the woman anyway. Johnny can easily shoot the pirate, despite him being fifteen yards away and the only part of his body that Johnny has a shot at is his head. But Johnny has been ordered that if things go wrong to keep at least one of the pirates alive. Fortunately, the answer to his problem comes quick.

"Johnny, this is Fara. I got the pirate and he is alive. How are things at your end?' Fara asks over the radio.

"I've killed one of the pirates and the other is currently holding a hostage. Believe it or not Fara, you've helped me solve my current problem."

"What are you talking about?"

BOOM!

The pirate lands on the ground with a hole in his head.

"I'll meet you back at Command, love you."

"Love you too Johnny"

The pirate that Fara captured told the Wild Cats everything. Their ship is located in the asteroid belt around Zaldon. The pirate gives them the exact coordinates. Within a few hours, Colonel Bobcat gets permission from Zaldon Command to attack the pirate mother ship. It was difficult because the pirate are located in Zaldon Civilian Airspace, which the Zaldon Military is highly restricted from entering. Any military unit that enters that Civilian Airspace is usually disbanded. That's why the Wild Cats are orders to not be detected by any civilians. Detection will be result in the squadron being disbanded.

The Wild Cats Squadron finds the pirate mother ship exactly where the pirate told them. It is well hidden in the asteroids. The Wild Cats stay back to avoid detection. Each Wild Cat, except for Johnny and Fara, are flying Strikers. If this mission is going to succeed they will need to destroy the ship quickly, which is only possible through surprise.

"Is everyone ready?" Bobcat asks over the radio.

"Yes sir" Everyone answers back.

"Alright, Johnny, you know what to do."

"You got it sir."

Since Johnny's ship is the only ship with radar prevention equipment, he is tasked with destroying the ship's shield generator, as usual. Johnny activates the Ghost Program, cloaking his ship, and flies in close to the pirate mother ship. He finds several gun turrets on the ship. If they detect him it's over. Fortunately they don't even glance at him. Johnny finds the shield generator on the back of the ship. He takes it out with a single shot.

"The shield generator's down sir. Now is the time to attack."

The rest of the Wild Cats fly out of their hiding spots and attack the pirates. The pirates have no idea what hits them.

As soon as Johnny destroys the shield generator the turrets start wildly. They have no idea where Johnny is, but one of turrets gets lucky and lands a blow on the Phantom's right wing. The shot deactivates the Ghost Program, leaving Johnny exposed. Johnny takes off flying as fast as he can but the turrets make it difficult. To make things worse, the pirate fighters see Johnny and all 50 of them attack him.

"Guys I could really use some help here."

Johnny is answered by a Nova bomb explosion. The blast takes out the turrets and at least five of the pirate fighters.

"I got your back Johnny." Fara shouts.

"Thanks babe"

At this point, all the enemy fighters are still pursing Johnny. But the Nova bomb distracted them. Johnny performs a fancy U – turn, flies towards the enemy, and fires a Nova bomb. The blast takes out several of the fighters. Johnny then flies right through them, taking out several fighters. The remaining enemy fighters disperse and the Wild Cats descend on them. The pirates are like ants going up against an anteater. The Wild Cats are too well trained and experienced for them, despite the pirates outnumbering them five to one. But the mother ship complicates things. The ship has several gun turrets that need to be avoided. So half of the Wild Cats take on the pirate fighters while the other half deals with the turrets. Within minutes, the pirate fighters are all but taken out. Those that are still alive retreat into the far reaches of space. All that remains is the mother ship. The Wild Cats hit it with Nova bomb after Nova bomb with very little effect. This mother ship has some very strong armor. The pirate ship suddenly starts to accelerate.

"Their trying to get away." Johnny shouts. "Don't we have anything strong than Nova bombs?"

"No, Command told us not to bring any." Bobcat answers.

"Dang morons, these pirates are going to get away and there's nothing we can do to stop them."

"I wouldn't say that" A strange but familiar voice echoes on the radio.

In this distance, the Wild Cats see a single black ship approaching. Johnny and Fara immediately recognize it.

"Savannah, what are you doing here?" Johnny shouts.

"I'll tell you later. Right now I'm here to help you. Just distract the turrets and I'll take out the ship."

"How do you plan on doing that?" Fara asks.

"Watch and see"

Savannah flies full speed towards the pirate mother ship. When Savannah gets close she starts spinning the Wolverine, turning it into a large and deadly projectile. The Wolverine hits the pirate mother ship at Mach 9. Savanah tears through the ship like a knife through butter and comes out the other side with her ship completely unscathed. The mother ship tears into two pieces and explodes.

"Who is that girl?" Bobcat asks.

"You can call me Savannah."

"Well Savannah, how would you like to join the Wild Cats Squadron?"

"I'd love to, but I got more important things to worry about right now."

An hour later, the Wild Cats and Savannah are back on Zaldon. Colonel Bobcat is on his way to a debriefing. He has to be there in less than a minute. But there is something that he has to do first. Bobcat finds Johnny and Fara by their ships. Johnny is fixing the Phantom. The blast his ship took damaged the Phantom's Ghost Program. Johnny is not used to taking hits. Fortunately, Fara is there to help Johnny out.

"Hey guys, I need to talk to you guys." Bobcat says.

He gets their attention. Bobcat hands Johnny and Fara their discharge papers.

"Well guys, this is it. You both are now officially retired." Bobcat tries to hold back the tears. He has known Johnny and Fara for years. They are like his children. He hates to see them go. "I just want to say that I'm going to miss you guys. Promise me that you guys will come and see me from time to time."

"Of course Colonel, you're like a father to us."

"John, you don't have to call me Colonel anymore. Bobcat will do just fine."

"Yes sir"

Johnny and Fara salute Colonel Bobcat one last time. Bobcat returns their salute then walks away.

**Just as a little heads up, Johnny changes outfits between the mission on Zaldon and the space battle. He goes back to wearing the outfit that I described earlier. And I am sorry if the space battle was a little lacking. I've always had problems describing space battles in the past. But the space battle in this chapter was a short battle that didn't necessarily require a lot of detail. Don't worry, there will be plenty more space battles and they will be more interesting.**


	5. Chapter 4 To the Rescue

**Hope you are enjoying the story so far. If you've made it this far then you're probably looking for more action. Well then you are going to be rewarded from now on throughout the story. The next few chapters are loaded with action. And for those Star Fox fans, you'll recognize one of the locations this chapter takes place in.**

Chapter 4: To the Rescue

Johnny reaches into his pocket and feels a small red box. In the box is an old ring that his mother gave him. His father gave it to her when he asked her to marry him. Maria gave it to Johnny before he left on this last mission. When Johnny told her that he was going to ask Fara to marry him, Maria thought that it would be a great idea to give the ring to Johnny. Now that their service is over, Johnny cannot think of a better way to begin a new life than with Fara. But Johnny is very nervous. He knows that Fara will say yes, he cannot think of a reason why she wouldn't, but he is still nervous. Johnny has never been good with women. Women have always been his one weakness. Johnny can't help but find it kind of funny. He has been in dozens of near death situations, experienced battle for the first time when he was 15, killed dozens of men, been tortured, and never froze. But the thought of asking a woman out was enough to make him sweat. Johnny turns to Fara and tries to gather his nerves.

"Fara I have something that I want to ask you."

Johnny gently grabs both of Fara's hands and looks deep into her pretty blue eyes.

"What is it Johnny?"

Johnny takes a deep breath to keep from passing out. He feels really light headed and dizzy. The sooner he gets this over with the better. But out of the corner of his eye, Johnny sees Savannah running towards them.

"Hey guys, I need to talk to you."

Savannah's presence completely blows the moment.

"_Dang it Savannah."_ Johnny thinks to himself and tries his best to look happy to see Savannah.

"This had better to good Savannah. You've ruined the moment." Fara shouts.

"It is, I wouldn't have come this far if it wasn't. You guys better sit down, this is going to take a while to explain."

Savannah explains everything to Johnny and Fara. It takes Savannah an hour to explain everything. She has to tell them about the Crocodiles, the Exodus, and the war.

"So why are you here? Shouldn't you be home helping our people prepare for war?" Johnny asks.

"No, I was sent to find you. We are to find to Exodus."

"And how are we supposed to find it?" Fara asks.

"I stopped by Zaldon and picked up an ERMD (energy radar and measurement device)."

The ERMD allows the user to measure energy readings from space. It can be used effectively from over a million miles away.

"And let me guess . . ." Jonathan says. "We're supposed to fly from planet to planet until chasing after every powerful energy reading we get, does that sound about right?"

"I don't like it any more than you do but it is our best choice."

Johnny and Fara look at each other. Secretly both of them want to do this. The thirst for battle is still a powerful factor in their lives. Deep down, both of them were not looking forward to the boring life of being civilians.

"Alright, we'll help you. But if we're going to do this, we need to have a mother ship to operate from." Johnny recommends. "We can't go flying around wasting fuel. However, there is currently no mother ship available, there are no pilots available, we don't have to money to get one."

"That is not true babe. There is one guy we can go and you know who he is." Fara says.

Johnny looks at Fara for a moment confused. Then he figures out who she is referring to.

"No, we are not going to Timothy. He's too freaking crazy."

"But he is our best choice. He was the best mother ship pilot I've ever seen. Plus he probably knows where he can get a ship."

"But Fara, I cannot emphasize this enough. The guy is crazy as heck."

"Who is Timothy?" Savannah finally asks.

"Timothy Jones was a former member of the Wild Cats Squadron. He drove the mother ship for the Squadron. He was also a brilliant mechanic and engineer. Timothy designed the HPC that Johnny uses. But Timothy is also legally insane, which probably made him a better pilot." Fara explains.

"Well if he's our only option then Johnny I suggest that we should find him."

"I don't know." Johnny replies. "I think we should at least see how he's doing. At least then we'll see how good our options are."

"Alright, where is he?"

"Titania" Johnny and Fara answer in unison.

"Titania, what the heck is he doing there?"

Johnny and Fara look at each other. Neither of them wants to explain what happened. Finally Johnny gets brave enough to explain. "Uh, long story short, a year ago Timothy accidently set a Zaldon military base on fire. One of his cooking experiments went horribly wrong. During the trial, Timothy was found to be legally insane and locked in an asylum. But we broke him out and set him up on Titania. He's been there ever since."

"Ok" Savannah says nervously. "I'm not so sure that this is a good idea anymore."

"Don't worry Savannah, Timothy may be crazy but he is the absolute best mother ship pilot you'll ever see. Plus he is really nice, and he is not that crazy. He'll do something out of the ordinary every once in a while but is about it." Fara explains.

"Then what are we doing just standing here? We need to get him as soon as possible." Savannah says excitedly.

"Alright, but we need to pick up Daniel first. I am not going anywhere without him." Johnny commands.

An hour later Johnny, Fara, and Savannah are standing at Colonel Bobcat Harrison's house. Johnny knocks on the door and is answered by Bobcat's wife Jennifer, a Jackal. Jennifer is significantly taller than Bobcat and she is very beautiful. Some of the Wild Cats used to joke about that how odd of a couple they make. Bobcat is small and not very attractive while Jennifer is tall and beautiful beyond compare. But the joking stopped when Bobcat caught wind of it. Bobcat appeared to be angry but only Johnny knew that he found it hilarious to. Besides, Bobcat and Jennifer have been like family to him. They took him in ten years ago when he first arrived on Zaldon. When Daniel was born, Jennifer agreed to look after him like he was her own child. Except for possibly Fara, Jennifer has been the closest person that Daniel has had to a mother. She raised him alongside her own hybrid children.

"Johnny, you here to pick up Daniel?"

"Yes ma'am, has he been any trouble?"

"No more than usual. I have to remember that he is your son every time he gets into trouble." Jennifer says sarcastically.

"_That is true." _Savannah thinks to herself. Johnny has always been a little bit of a troublemaker.

Jennifer lets them inside and leads them to Daniel, who is on the couch watching TV. When Daniel sees Johnny he runs to him and jumps into his arms.

"Hey there little man, you ready to go?"

"Yes daddy, I'm ready to go home."

"We're not going home, not yet."

Daniel looks at his father confused. "Why not daddy?"

"Because it is not safe there. We're heading to Titania first to meet one of daddy's old friends."

"Titania, isn't it dangerous there?" Jennifer asks.

"It depends on where you are on Titania. We'll drop him off first at one of the safe places." Fara explains.

"Ok, just promise me that you'll be safe."

"I promise" Johnny says.

Johnny, Daniel, Fara, and Savannah head back to their ships. On the way, Savannah gets a little curious about something. "Hey Fara, how do you know so much about Titania?"

"I've spent a lot of time on Titania. My father owns a timeshare there. Plus you have to remember that my species is originally from there."

After a six hour flight our heroes finally arrive on Titania. While Titania is one big desert, it has three different economic environments. The first is the rich side. This side is usually inhabited by wealthy citizens. The second is the poor side. This side is usually inhabited by refugees and criminals. It has been used as a squatter settlement for some time now. The third side is the dangerous side of the planet. This is the largest part of the planet. No one in the right mind will enter there without some kind of weapon. Timothy is living in the poor sector at the moment.

Johnny drops off Daniel at one of Fara's friends in the rich district then they head to the poor district. They park their ships at the edge and walk the rest of the way. Each of them carries a weapon just in case. In this district anything can happen. Johnny carries an automatic shotgun (based off the real life AA12). He likes it because of the firepower it possesses and it looks intimidating. Both Fara and Savannah carry blasters. Savannah has her sniper rifle attached strapped to her back. They receive stares from people as they walk by. The village they are walking through is a little more than a squatter settlement. Nearly half of the structures are tents, and those that are not are mostly made of dirt or clay. Most of the people currently living in the village are refugees from the Nylon System, which is currently experiencing a civil war. These people are looking simply looking for a new home and are not harmful.

As their walking to Timothy, Fara notices how the heat is affecting Johnny. At the moment, it is a 110 degrees. Everything that keeps Johnny's people alive in the cold of Zathora and Cerinia is working against him here, especially his long, black fur. They've been outside for ten minutes and already Johnny is starting to sweat. Savannah is also already having difficulties with the heat, despite being better suited for it than Johnny. Fara, on the other hand, is actually enjoying the heat. In her mind, Fara can't help thinking about how ironic this situation is. Less than a month ago, she was on Cerinia freezing her tail off and Johnny was enjoying the cold. Now they are on Titania and the situation is reversed.

"Hey Fara, how are you so calm in this heat?" Savannah asks.

"My people are originally from here. Our bodies have adapted to surviving in this heat. You see how long my ears are?"

-"Yes"

"They give me more than just great hearing. They disperse the heat away from my body. My ears keep me nice and cool. Isn't that right Johnny?" Fara calls romantically sarcastic to Johnny.

"Huh, I wasn't listening." Johnny replies a little distracted. "I was trying to find Timothy."

"I was telling Savannah how my ears keep me cool in the desert. I made a sarcastic comment about how you like them."

"Yeah, I actually think their kind of cute."

Meanwhile, Johnny finds a refugee sitting on a bench and asks him in English where Timothy is. The refugee responds in a different, rare language. Savannah and Fara have absolutely no idea what he said. But Johnny, who speaks the language fluently, carries on a full blown conversation with the man. It amazes Savannah that Johnny can speak the language so fluently. At the Zaldon Military Academy Johnny minored in linguistics and explosives. Both have served in well in his service. Linguistics gave Johnny the chance to learn multiple languages and dialects. Johnny speaks every language in both the Genesis and Lylat Systems to some degree. He speaks 20 languages fluently and another 12 passively, not including English and Cerinian. The man points them to a hill on the outskirts of the village.

Johnny, Fara, and Savannah find Timothy on top of the hill. Timothy (currently 30) is lying in a lawn chair with his feet in small, plastic pool. He is not wearing a shirt, just pants, revealing his masculinity, and is wearing dark sunglasses. Timothy is a large puma, standing at least 6'4". He is very handsome. Savannah is having trouble believing that this guy is as crazy as Johnny and Fara made him out to be. She is actually a little turned on. A radio is blaring music close by. Next to him is a machine gun. Timothy appears to be asleep. Johnny walks to Timothy and kicks him in the leg. Timothy looks at Johnny and Fara and laughs.

"Captain, Star, what are ya'll young bucks doing in a hell hole like this?"

Savannah leans in close to Fara and whispers "Are you guys Captain and Star?"

"Yes, those were our nicknames when we were in the Wild Cats."

Timothy slowly stands up like he hasn't moved around a lot lately. He grabs his closest shirt, which is a dirty, sleeveless, black shirt.

"I see you're still carrying the HPC I made you seven years ago."

Johnny looks down at the HPC strapped to his hip and smiles.

"Of course, out of everything you've designed it's been my favorite."

Timothy sees Savannah looking at him. Timothy calls Johnny in close to him. "Hey Johnny, what's the name of that beautiful blue Cougar?"

"That's my cousin in – law Savannah."

"Oh I'm sorry man."

"Don't worry about it Tim, she's single right now. But you break her heart and I will break you."

"Of course you will. So what are you guys doing here?"

"Believe it or not Tim, we're here to ask for your help."

"I'll do it"

"But I haven't even told you what it is yet." Johnny replies a little confused.

"I don't care what it is partner. I'll do anything to get off this godforsaken planet. I'm bored out of my mind here." Timothy shouts.

"Ok, that was easier than I thought it would be. We'll leave in an hour. Fara's got a friend that can give us a mother ship to temporary use."

"No need for that. There's something that I want to show you guys."

"What is it?"

"Follow me"

Timothy starts to lead Johnny, Fara, and Savannah down to the opposite side of the hill when he suddenly stops. Timothy's sudden stillness, which it is very unusually for Timothy to be still for more than a few seconds, catches Johnny's attention. Timothy is looking towards the village. Johnny sees several Speeders and Humvees drive into the village. He can barely hear gunshots. Fara and Savannah catch on immediately.

"What's going on down there Tim?" Fara asks.

"Coyotes, the thieves of the desert. They've been attacking these refugees for months."

"Why doesn't Corneria step in and do something about it?"

"Maybe because they don't know about it. Most of the refugees ain't legal citizen. If Corneria got involved this people would be shipped back to their home where they'd be killed. So the problem doesn't get reported."

"Well whatever the reason, we can't just stand here and let it happen." Johnny says taking command of the situation. He hands Timothy a radio set. "Savannah, I want you on this hill with your sniper rifle. It gives you a good overwatch position of the village. Once you're set up fill in me in on everything. Tim, you see that building over there?"

"Yes"

"Take your machine gun and set up on that hill. You will provide support for us." Johnny turns to Fara. "You and will make our way through the village and kill everything we see."

Fara cocks her rifle. "I'm with you babe."

Timothy and Savannah follow Johnny's orders to the letter. Savannah runs to the hill and unstraps her sniper rifle and sets up on the hill. She can see everything that is going on. She radios the others in on the situation. "Johnny, I see at least thirty Coyotes. They are mainly firing wildly into the air. I can tell that they are untrained so killing them shouldn't be a problem. But they have two Humvees that are each equipped with Gatling guns and four Speeders. And they are taking hostages. So watch your fire."

"Thanks Savannah, you take out as many of them as possible."

"You got it"

Johnny hears Savanah firing a couple shots over the radio. He knows that Savanah doesn't miss.

Timothy takes the long way to his position to avoid attention. The building he is to set up on the other side of the village. But it offers a great position to provide view and provide support from. As Timothy runs to his position, three Coyotes notice him. They fire at him and mission. Timothy ducks behind wall.

"Dang, those buckaroos couldn't hit the blocked side of a barn."

The Coyotes slowly approach Timothy's position, firing at the same time. Timothy feels the heat of rounds flying past him. He just smiles, his insanity is taking over. Timothy jumps up and fires a long blast at the Coyotes, riddling all three of them with lasers. Timothy walks up to them and fires again just to be safe. Out of the corner of his eye, Timothy sees a Coyote running and shooting at him, and badly missing. Timothy aims the machine at the Coyote with one hand and fires a quick burst. The lasers knock the Coyote on his back.

"That knocked the wind out of him." Timothy says smiling.

Timothy runs to his position. He turns a corner and comes across two Coyotes. His presence startles them. Without hesitating, Timothy jumps into them, knocking them to the ground. He hits one in the head with the butt of his gun, crushing his skull. The other Coyote jumps off and rushes at Timothy. Timothy uses the Coyotes momentum, flips him in the air, and then throws him on the ground. He finishes the Coyote by breaking his neck.

"Come on guys, give me a challenge."

Timothy practically walks to his position. He climbs on top of the building and looks over the village. Three coyotes are standing below him. They have no idea he is above them. Timothy opens fire on them and quickly kills all three of them. They drop like a sack of potatoes.

"Captain, I'm at my position. I got a good view of the village from here and I can see you and Fara from here. You're coming down the most dangerous road. I see at least ten Coyotes down that road. But they haven't noticed you yet so you've got the element of surprise. There are no civilians there so be as wild as you want."

"Thanks Laser, keep us posted on any changed."

"You got it Captain."

Johnny and Savannah are taking cover behind a wall. They have not had any problems getting into position. They look over their weapons one last time. Johnny makes sure that he can reach another ammo drum for the Automatic Shotgun, and the HPC and his pistol are where he can draw it quickly. Fara makes sure that her blaster is set to kill and her pistols are within reach. Johnny and Fara pull up their scarfs to cover their faces. Johnny makes sure that his sunglasses are on good. He is using his Wolf Sense and the Sun makes it difficult to use. Since there civilians here Johnny is using it to clearly identify an enemy from an innocent. The Wolf Sense allows Johnny to tell the difference by color coding them. A person that is colored red is an enemy while an innocent is colored green. Before they start down the road, Fara grabs Johnny's shoulder.

"I want you to know that personally, I wasn't really looking forward to living a quiet life on Cerinia. Secretly, I still have a thirst for battle."

"That makes two of us babe. Retirement would have been boring, but having a couple kits would probably change that. But we'll take about it later. Right now we have civilians to save."

"Ok, but first . . ." Fara plants a quick kiss on Johnny's lips. ". . . For good luck."

"Alright, let's this do, cover me."

Three Coyotes are standing in a close group, ten feet away from Johnny. Johnny jumps out of the corner and opens fire on them. The Automatic Shotgun mows them down like bowling pins. Johnny then sprints to the nearest cover with Fara close behind him. Two Coyotes open fire at them from a distance. Johnny opens fire but they are out of the shotguns range. Fara fires at them and hits them both, one dead the other injured. The Coyotes tries to crawl away but Timothy, from his position, finishes him off. Johnny and Fara's presence attracts the attention of the Humvees. One of them drives down the road and up to the other Coyotes. It fires at Johnny and Fara. Johnny pulls out the HPC and fires at the Humvee. The plasma blast hits the Humvee, and blows it to pieces. The explosion shakes the ground. Three Coyotes are killed by the explosion. The rest are knocked to the ground. Johnny and Fara make their way down the road, killing the Coyotes as they try to get up. The explosion attracts two of the speeders. The speeders come flying down the road. Johnny and Fara both barely jump out of the way. Fara locks onto one of the speeders with her blaster and takes it out. The other speeder turns around and speeds full speed at Johnny. Johnny doesn't move, instead he draws his sword. He grips the hilt with both hands, activating its special ability. Johnny waits for the speeder to get close then side steps out of the way. He slashes at the speeder, easily cutting it in half. The speeder crashes into a wall, exploding on impact. The driver is killed on impact.

The other speeder starts to flee. Savannah sees the driver trying to flee. She aims and fires at the speeder, who is moving at 60 mph. The round hits the driver on the head. She then aims at the driver of the remaining Humvee. Savannah shoots the driver and then the gunner. She then picks off the Coyotes that are standing around.

"The remaining Humvee and the speeders are down." Savannah radios the others.

Five of the Coyotes take off running. They unknowingly run right past Timothy. Timothy opens fire on them and drops them all.

"Captain, we're clear here."

"Thanks Laser, looks like this situation is handled."

"Huh Captain, the situation is far from over." Fara says and points towards a situation that would frighten any man. Six Coyotes are using the hostages they've taken as cover. Three Coyotes are using them as shields. The rest are aiming their weapons at Johnny and Fara.

"Lower your weapons or we will kill the hostages." The lead Coyote shouts.

"Johnny, what do we do?" Fara asks.

"Well obviously we don't surrender. My Wolf Sense is telling me that they will kill us and the hostages anyway. But we can't take them out without getting the hostages or ourselves killed."

"I got a solution." Savannah says over the radio.

Johnny and Fara don't even hear the shots. All they see are the three Coyotes that are using the hostages as shield fall down dead with holes in their heads. Johnny and Fara instantly act by shooting the remaining three Coyotes. None of the hostages are harmed. The hostage take off running without saying thank you.

"Inconsiderate jerks" Johnny says. "This always happens, you'd think that we'd get a thank you at least once."

"Ah, I thought that you'd be used to it by now."

Fara's response is a low rumble in the distance. It sounds like a T – Rex but much bigger.

"What was that?" Johnny nervously asks.

Timothy comes running out of nowhere. Savannah is not far behind him.

"That was a Goras. The sound of battle must have attracted it." Timothy answers.

"What is a Goras?" Savannah asks.

"They are giant prehistoric beasts that haunts the ruins of this planet. A Goras stands at least four stories tall, has some kind of strange skeletal structure, has several limbs that are either claws or some kind of laser cannons, and has the head of a dragon. I have seen at least two of them from this hill and to be truthful, they are a scary sight. Believe me, we are outmatched here. We need to get out of here quickly."

The Goras makes its appearance by coming out of the ground. Its size alone intimidates our heroes. The Goras stomps into the village destroying everything in its path. Johnny, Fara, Timothy, and Savannah fire at it but nothing happens. The Goras is too powerful. All they do is make it angrier. They duck behind a wall as the Goras walks past them.

"How are we going to defeat this thing?" Savannah asks.

"I don't know" Johnny says. "If we could get to our ships we might be able to beat it."

The answer to their problem appears out of nowhere. The Goras suddenly draws light into its mouth and fires a beam into the village. Johnny immediately gets an idea.

"Guys, I've got an idea. If I can get this thing to concentrate on my, I can use my sword to absorb its energy and then redirect it back at the Goras."

"But Jonathan, that thing possesses more energy that you can handle. If the blast doesn't kill you, then the energy needed to absorb and redirect the attack will." Savannah shouts.

"It's a risk that I'm going have to take." Johnny draws his sword, grabs Fara by the waist, pulls her in close and kisses her. He can tell that she afraid for him. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"You'd better be, I don't want to raise Daniel on my own."

Johnny smiles and walks out from cover. He stands in the open and waves to the Goras trying to get its attention.

"HEY DUMBASS YOU'ER MOTHER WAS A BIG, FAT, UGLY GOAT."

Johnny's comment pisses the Goras off. It glares at him and prepares to attack. It draws in energy to blast Johnny. Johnny double grips his sword activating its special abilities. He concentrates all his energy on absorbing the attack. The Goras launches an energy blast at full strength. All Fara, Savannah, And Timothy see is the blast hit Johnny's sword and the energy warps around Johnny, creating an energy sphere around him.

"JOHNNY" Fara shouts. The blast is so loud that Fara can barely hear herself scream. She has to cover her ears to keep them from popping. For a moment, Fara thinks that Johnny is dead. But then she sees the sphere start to shrink. She sees Johnny in the middle of the sphere absorbing the energy. It is obvious to Fara that it is taking everything Johnny has to stay alive and absorb the energy.

It takes Johnny forever to absorb all the energy. By then he is on the verge of collapsing. Johnny has very little energy left. But he knows that failure is not option here. If he fails, the Goras will destroy everything, including Fara. That is something that Johnny cannot allow. Johnny musters whatever strength he has left, using the energy he absorb, and fires an energy blast from his sword aimed at the Goras' chest. The blast hits the Goras dead center in the chest. It blasts a whole large enough for Johnny to fly the Phantom through. The Goras collapses and explodes, leaving a huge crater in its place.

Johnny, completely drained of energy, collapses on the ground. Fara runs to his side and finds Johnny unconscious.

"GET SOME WATER NOW." Fara shouts to Timothy and Savannah.

Timothy and Savannah take off looking for water. Fara stays with Johnny. She cradles his head in her lap. Fara gently slaps Johnny's face to wake him up.

Johnny wakes up a little groggy. The first thing he sees is Fara sitting over him.

"Am I dead? I swear that I'm staring into the eyes of an angel."

Fara punches Johnny lightly in the shoulder.

"Don't scare me like that. I thought that you were dead."

"I can't make that promise. You know me."

"That's what worries me."

Johnny slowly and painfully stands up. It takes him a minute to gather his bearings.

"You alright Johnny?" Fara asks.

"I'm fine, I just really drained. It'll take me a while to get my strength back."

Savannah and Timothy come running up at that moment. Savannah tosses Johnny a bottle of water and he downs it in less than ten seconds. He looks around and sees that they are the only ones around.

"Things got quiet real quick." Savannah says.

"That's usually the way it is after a battle. Give it a couple of hours and this place will be packed again. Enjoy the peace and quiet while it lasts." Johnny says.

Timothy looks around at the sight around him. The others can tell that he has something on his mind.

"We make a pretty good team. Maybe we should consider being a mercenary team after this?

"I'll think about it Tim. But first we need to complete the task at hand." Johnny replies. "Tim meet us on the hill in an hour. You can show us what you've built then."

"Alright, believe me guys it's going to blow your mind."

**For those of you that are curious, I've based Timothy's personality off of Murdock from the A-Team. I also gave him kind of a Southern – style of talking. I figured that his insanity would bring some humor to the story.**


	6. Chapter 5 Star Ghost Begins

**Hope you Star Fox fans enjoyed the little bit of familiarity I put in the last chapter, particularly the battle with the Goras. You got to see what Johnny, Fara, Savannah, and Timothy are capable of on the ground. In this chapter, you get to see what they can do in the air.**

Chapter 5: Star Ghost Begins

An hour later, Timothy is sitting on the hill waiting for the others to arrive. Suddenly, three ships appear out of nowhere and land next to the hill. Johnny, Daniel, Fara, and Savannah climb out and approach Timothy.

"Dang Captain, those ships are quieter than I remember." Timothy shouts.

"Colonel Bobcat made us take the mufflers out a month after you left. Now our enemies never hear us coming." Johnny replies. "Now what do you have to show us? We don't exactly have time to waste."

"Follow me"

Timothy leads the others down the hill. Daniel runs to Timothy and walks beside him. Timothy has been like an uncle to Daniel. There is a special bond between them.

"You've gotten bigger since I last saw you little man."

"So have you Tim." Daniel replies referring to the little bit of weight he gained from being lazy.

"That wasn't very nice buddy."

"He's only four Tim, he doesn't know how to properly respond yet. Kind of like you."

Fara and Savannah can't help but snicker to themselves. Timothy glares at them and they act like nothing happened.

"So Johnny, you still haven't told me why you need my help? What is our task?" Timothy asks.

"Well long story short, our mission is to save Cerinia. It has been invaded by the Crocodiles. In order to save it we need to find an ancient artifact called the Exodus. We came looking for you because we need a mother ship to operate from and you were the best choice."

"Will there be lots of fighting and danger?"

"I can guarantee it"

"Good, I've been looking for my next near death experience."

Savannah leans in close to Fara. "You weren't kidding about this guy being mentally insane."

"You'll get used to it."

"I'm not really sure I want to. For some reason I've always been attracted to men like him. Why do you think I dated Jonathan?"

The group comes to the top of a hill and stop in awe at the sight before them. Before them stands a brand new mother ship. It looks like a combination of a mother ship and a battle ship (about the same size as the Great Fox). The ship is rectangular – shape and has three wings. One wing on each side and one on top. Each of the wings is equipped with a laser cannon. But what really amazes them are the weapons the ship possesses. The ship is equipped with dual T&B – H9 Laser cannons, six 105mm cannons (three on each side), and eight Gatling guns (one on each corner).

"Tim, where did you get that thing?' Johnny asks surprised.

"What are you talking about buddy? I built the thing. I call it the Spectra."

"In only a year?"

"Johnny, you know that I'm an expert mechanic. I studied it in the Academy. Besides, you'd be surprised what you can do when you're bored."

"Well I gotta say Tim, you've really out done yourself." Fara compliments.

"At least someone around here appreciates my genius."

"I think he's mistaken his genius for insanity." Johnny whispers to Fara.

Fara laughs quietly to herself. "So Tim, tell us a little about it. How fast does it go, how many ships and people it holds, how do the weapons work, and what special abilities does it have?"

"I see that you still like to ask the simple questions Fara. Besides light speed, it can travel Mach 4 no problem. It has to maneuverability of a starfighter and has advanced shielding. It can take a hit from a copperhead missile and still be undamaged. It can hold up to 10 ships and about 50 personnel. But it can suit about 10 comfortably. I personally built it so 10 people could be comfortable in it. The ship as three decks. The first deck is for storing vehicles. The second is the living quarters. The ship has five rooms, a living room, kitchen, and a bathroom. The third deck is the operations deck, which includes the cockpit, command room, and weapons room. It only needs one pilot and that'll be me. I can operate most of the weapons from the cockpit. I have control of the front twin laser cannons, the 105mm cannons, and the five wing cannons. They are primarily offense weapons. The eight Gatling guns are computer operated. They are more for defense than offense. They fire 10,000 rounds per minute. The computers lock onto enemy aircrafts and missiles and guns take them out. I don't have to operate them which means less things that I have to concentrate on at once. But that's not all." Timothy explains then turns to Johnny and Fara. "Have the Zaldon Researchers figured out how to install the Ghost Program in bigger ships?"

"Sadly no, it still has only been installed in starfighters." Fara answers.

"That sucks, I figured out how to install it in the Spectra a few months ago."

"Really" Johnny shouts. "I'll have to see it to believe it."

"You'll probably get the chance to." Timothy replies. "Now how about ya'll load your ships aboard and we'll get it her on her maiden voyage."

Johnny, Fara, and Savannah fly their ships into the Spectra's cargo bay. Timothy and Daniel are waiting for them. As soon as they are aboard, Timothy closes the force field opening. In the cargo bay, Johnny spies a tank. "Hey Tim, where did you get that thing?"

"That's the Destroyer, I built it a few months back."

Johnny walks up to the tank. It's a little small for the average tank. But Johnny is impressed with the weapons it possesses. It has a Gatling gun, a hyper – beam laser cannon, and a smart bomb launcher. It's better armed than most tanks he's seen. Timothy walks up to Johnny. "I designed it to be a QRF (Quick Response Force) vehicle. It can travel 200 miles per hour, and hover like a starfighter, though it cannot fly. It armor is also very tough. The Destroyer can take a hit from a Nova bomb and still keep rolling."

"I'm impressed Tim, but there's still something that bothers me. How did you do all this in a year? There is no way that you could do all this by yourself."

"I had a lot of help from the refugees. Most of them spend months here at a time. It gets boring around here real quick. So I just asked them for help and they said yes. Does that answer your question?"

"Yeah, you never cease to amaze me man."

"I aim to please."

Timothy then leads them to the second floor to their rooms. Timothy, Savannah, and Daniel each get their own room. Johnny and Fara take a room together.

"So you guys finally tied the knot." Timothy exclaims when Johnny and Fara take the same room.

"No, not yet" Fara replies and glares at Johnny.

Johnny doesn't respond. He is still waiting for the right moment to pop the question. Johnny walks inside alone and unpacks.

"He's in the dog house." Timothy jokes.

Fara jumps to Johnny's defense. "Johnny means good Tim. I know he wants to get married. He's probably just looking for the right moment."

"If he knows that you'll say yes why doesn't he just ask you?" Savannah asks.

"If I know Johnny, which I do, he probably wants the moment to symbolize something."

An hour later Johnny, Fara, Savannah, Daniel, and Timothy are standing on the deck. Timothy is at the controls making final preparations. No one is saying anything. It is becoming awkward.

"Ok, let's see how well this thing flies." Timothy finally says.

"Haven't you tested this thing out yet?" Johnny asks, a little surprised.

"No, this is her first flight."

"So let me get this right." Johnny replies sarcastically. "We are in a ship that you have not tested and could possibly explode and kill us all. Am I in the ball park?"

"No Johnny, this isn't my first ship to build. She will work, I guarantee it."

"She'd better, cause if we die I swear that my soul will kick your ass for the rest of eternity."

"Sounds fair to me."

Timothy fires up the Spectra and she lifts off the ground like a Ferrari fresh off the car lot.

"The Spectra flies like a dream doesn't she." Timothy shouts. "Looks like you owe me an apology Johnny."

"Alright, I'm sorry."

"I'll take it. Now where are we going?"

Johnny and Fara look at each other. Neither of them has any idea where to go. All they know is that the Exodus is somewhere in the Genesis System.

"Moldova" Savannah says, getting everyone's attention.

"How do you know that?" Johnny asks.

"A year ago, my unit responded to an unusual electrical surge on Moldova. We never found the source or figured out what it was. I know that it's not much but it's something."

"Well then Tim, set a course for Moldova."

"You got it Captain."

Timothy sets the coordinates, then puts the ship in warp speed. In minutes, the Spectra arrives close to Moldova. Moldova's brown atmosphere is visible from the viewing deck. The planet is a desert world. It is mostly inhabitable. But Moldova has some of the richest oil reserves in the System, making it an Oil Company's dream. Timothy radios the Moldova Space Port and requests permission to land, but gets only static in return. He tries every station but gets the same thing.

"That's unusual Tim." Johnny replies when Timothy tells him. "Usually they are quick to respond."

"What are you thinking Johnny?" Fara asks.

"I don't know. Let's try to get a little more information before we do anything."

Daniel is standing at the window looking down at Moldova. He suddenly sees a small ship appear. It appears to be damaged. Several other ships are chasing it. "Daddy, there's someone being chased out there."

Johnny, Fara, and Savannah run to the window and Daniel points the ships out to them. Savannah immediately recognizes the ships. "Those are Crocodile ships."

"Are you sure?" Johnny asks.

"Yes, I'm certain"

"That means that the Crocodiles are already here. We need to get down there as soon as possible. But first . . ." Johnny turns to Tim. "Tim, can you take out those Crocodiles?"

"Of course I can, what this."

Timothy activates the Ghost Program and the Spectra disappears. Timothy flies the Spectra after the Crocodiles. Meanwhile, the Crocodiles have managed to disable the fleeing ship. They are circling around it sharks around their prey. Timothy programs the Gatling guns to target the Crocodile ships. One second, the Crocodiles are circling their prey and feeling confident. The next, they are taking fire from nowhere. The Crocodile ships that are next destroyed immediately try to flee. But the Gatling guns lock onto them and fire until they are destroyed. Timothy looks at Johnny like he is expecting something.

"Alright Tim, that was impressive. I guess you really are a genius."

"Thanks for finally noticing."

Timothy flies the Spectra to the ship that was fleeing Moldova and activates the tractor beam, pulling it into the Spectra's docking bay. Johnny, Fara, and Savannah immediately head down to greet them. Johnny tells Daniel to stay on the top deck. The ship obviously belongs to one of the Zaldon Oil Companies. The occupants are all oil workers. But none of them speak English. They are speaking a rare language called Ahedi. Fortunately, Johnny speaks Ahedi fluently.

"It's worse than we thought." Johnny tells Fara and Savannah. "The Crocodiles invaded Moldova a few days ago. The planet is now completely under their control. They control everything that comes in and out. Fortunately, there is only a small force there now. The fleet left this morning. The Crocodiles have three bases set up. One Command Control Base and two Patrol Bases. They also have a small squadron guarding the planet."

"So, what are we going to do about it?" Fara asks.

"We're going to save Moldova. Are you guys in?"

"I'd follow you to hell and back." Fara replies.

"These people need our help so I guess I'm in." Savannah answers.

Timothy walks down the stairs at that moment. "As long as we get to blow something up I'm in."

"Glad to hear it. Now here's what we're gonna do."

Commander Sloth of the Crocodile Army looks out over the planet Moldova from his battleship. From here the planet looks peaceful. But Command Scales knows that is the exact opposite down on the surface. It took his people less than twenty – four hours to have Moldova completely under their control. Scales was at the front of the battle. Nothing warms his heart more than to see his enemies massacred before his eyes. But now he finds his battle group of six Battleships stationed just outside of Moldova's atmosphere waiting for either a retaliation from Zaldon, which is highly unlikely, or he's just sitting around waiting for his battle group to be called back down to the surface. One of the first things the Crocodiles did when they invaded Moldova was disable the planet's communication so reinforcements could not be called.

"Commander Sloth, are you alright?" Lieutenant Sanders asks.

"I'm just thinking Lieutenant. This is a gross misuse of valuable resources. General Scales obviously has some resentment for this battle group."

"What makes you think that sir?"

"Because this is obviously a waste of our time. No one is coming to save the planet. You assign these jobs to people you don't like. If he liked us he'd probably would have sent us with the main fleet."

Suddenly, the ship is rocked by two giant explosions. The explosions shake the ship like a canoe is a hurricane. Commander Sloth is thrown to the floor.

"Lieutenant, is the ship hit?"

"No sir"

Commander Sloth jumps up and runs to the window. What he sees shocks him. Two of his battleships are destroyed and are falling down the planet's surface. Commander Sloth looks around and doesn't see any enemy ships.

"Lieutenant, get the ship into attack position now. We are under . . ."

Two more battleships are shot down by an unseen enemy. Only two battleships are left.

"Order a full retreat. Radio command that we are under attack."

The other remaining battleship tries to retreat but it shot down. Shrapnel from the explosion hits Commander Sloth's ship and tears a hole in the hull. It takes less than a minute for the ship to break in half.

"Way to go Tim, you sure showed them." Johnny shouts over the radio.

Johnny, Fara, and Savannah were watching the action from a safe distance. Timothy did all the work. He flew the Spectra, while cloaked, between two of the battleships and took them out with the 105mm cannons. Then he turned the front laser cannons on the remaining battleships. The whole thing was over in less than a minute.

"Thanks for the compliment Johnny. And don't worry, they didn't get a call off." Timothy radios back. "Now you guys get going. You three have a lot to do."

"Don't worry about us. You just worry about keeping Daniel safe." Johnny replies back.

Daniel is on board the Spectra. It is the only safe place for him.

"Don't worry about him Johnny. I'll make sure nothing happens to him."

"Good, see ya'll in a few minutes buddy."

Johnny, Fara, and Savannah fly down to Moldova as a group. The Ghost Program in their ships are all activated. Johnny is in front, Fara is on his right, and Savannah is on his left. They fly in a group towards the command base till they get down to the surface. Johnny separates from Fara and Savannah and flies full speed towards the base solo. In a minute he can see the enemy base over the horizons. Johnny has the Phantom's computer perform a quick analysis check on the base. The base has three anti – air guns, an air field, and a Command Control Room. Johnny needs to take out all three. He arms his missiles and locks onto the AA guns first. He fires and the missiles hit and destroy the AA guns. Johnny flies full speed over the base and fires another missile at the Command Control Room and takes it out. Johnny flies past the base, performs a U – turn, and flies back at it. He fires a Nova Bomb into the center of the base blowing up a big part of it. The explosion is twice as big as a normal Nova bomb explosion. The explosion leaves a huge crater in the ground. Johnny felt the explosion in the Phantom. The blast waves set off his ship's alarms.

"Whoa, must've hit an ammo dump."

Johnny looks down in the base and sees Crocodiles running all over the place. It brings a smile to his face to see the Crocodiles running around like ants.

"Fara, Savannah, ya'll can jump in now. All that's left is the air field."

Fara and Savannah appear on Johnny's right side. Together, the three of them form the same triangle shape as before and fly towards the air field. They can see the Crocodiles trying to get in their ships.

"That's funny, those idiots think they can take us out." Fara laughs.

"Let's show them how long we are." Johnny shouts.

Johnny, Fara, and Savannah each fire a Nova bomb at the air field. The bombs hit the concentrate and explode, destroying several enemy starfighters. Johnny, Fara, and Savannah then take out the remaining starfighters until none are left. In less than five minutes, the Crocodile base is destroyed.

"That is too easy." Savannah exclaims.

"Our job isn't done yet." Johnny replies. "Fara, Savannah, you ladies take the Moldova Capital base. I'll take the outskirts base."

"You got it boss." Savannah replies.

"Savannah, I'm not your boss, I'm your cousin in – law and friend."

"But you're the only one of us who was an officer. That makes you the only one qualified to lead us."

"We'll talk about this later. We have a job to do right now."

"Alright Captain"

Savannah takes off after her target. Fara stays back a little bit.

"Good luck honey."

"You too babe."

Fara takes off after Savanah. Johnny takes off towards his target. His target is closer so he reaches it first. To reach the base, Johnny has to fly through a mountain range. Unfortunately, Johnny finds an entire squadron (25 enemy ships) waiting for him. And to make things worse, the Ghost Program has been completely drained. The Ghost Program requires a lot of energy to be used. It can only be used for five minutes at a time, then has to recharge.

"Looks like I got my work cut out for me."

Fortunately, the Crocodiles haven't spotted him yet. Johnny flies full speed at the Squadron, locks onto one of the ships in the middle, and fires a Nova Bomb. The blast takes out ten enemy ships. The rest of the ships scatter and try to focus on Johnny. Johnny flies toward a small group and targets them. He fires several blasts and takes out three of them. Johnny spots two more ships coming from his right. The fire and Johnny dodges and takes them out. Johnny sees two ships coming behind him. They fire and try to take him out. Johnny somersaults over the ship and ends up behind them. He easily takes them out. At that moment, the enemy ships concentrate their fire on Johnny. They follow close behind Johnny. But he's not worried. He wants them to follow him.

"Come on retards, follow the pretty birdy."

Johnny flies as close to the mountains as he can. The Phantom is very quick and maneuverable, while the Crocodile ships are slow and cumbersome, giving Johnny an advantage. Johnny suddenly makes a quick turn close to the mountain. Six of the ships make it through. Two crash into the mountains. Johnny then flies under a small pass. Only two of the Crocodile ships make it through. But those two find that Johnny is nowhere to be found.

"Where did he go?"

The Crocodile's answer is a laser blast and his ship exploding. The remaining Crocodile receives the same answer. Johnny was hiding in the sun's glare.

"That was too easy."

Johnny flies to the outpost and finds that it is a little more than a small air field and a command post. Johnny fires a missile at the base and takes it out.

"Base destroyed, I'm heading back to the Command Base. The refugees said that there are prisoners there. I'm going to set them free." Johnny radios the others.

Fara and Savannah fly towards the base strategically. Savannah, whose piloting the faster ship, flies ahead of Fara. She takes out all of the important targets. Fara follows behind out and takes out everything else. It's a good strategy because the base is heavily defended. The base is located in the center of the city and is surrounded by AA guns. Three Squadrons are also guarding the base.

"That's a lot of bad guys Fara. Are you sure we can do this?"

"Oh yeah, it should be fun."

Savannah flies full speed towards the base. Her presence attracts the Crocodiles attention. All three squadrons and the AA guns concentrate their attention on Savannah. But the Wolverine is so fast that they can't land a blow on her. Savannah takes out any plan that gets in her way. Fara follows from a distance. With all of the attention on Savannah, Fara can take out the stragglers and the AA guns without drawing attention. When Savannah flew into the city, all of the AA guns opened fire on her, revealing themselves to Fara, who was then able to take them out. Fara then rescues Savanah. Savannah flies to the edge to the city, then flies straight up. The Crocodiles follow her, unknowingly making themselves a target to Fara. There are three groups following Savannah. Fara, who recently updated her ship with a multi – lock system, locks onto the middle ship of each group and fires a Nova bomb at each. The bombs take out an over half of the Crocodile fighters. The remaining fighters scatter and focus on Fara.

"Alright Savannah, your free. Their all pissed off at me. The base is all yours."

Savannah flies right up to the base and fires a Nova bomb dead center. The bomb destroys the base. The remaining Crocodiles fighters flee into space. Waiting for them is Timothy, who takes them out. Fara, Savannah, and Timothy then heads to Command Base to back up Johnny.

Johnny lands just outside out of the base. He jumps out and sees eight Crocodiles running out of the base. Two of them see Johnny and try to shoot him. Johnny ducks, pulls out his HPC, and takes out all eight Crocodiles in one shot.

"Be careful guys, we got stragglers." Johnny radios the others.

Johnny takes out the Automatic Shotgun and carefully makes his way into the base. Smoke is everywhere. Johnny can barely see anything. But through the smoke, Johnny sees the Crocodile General scrambling around. Johnny shoulders the Automatic Shotgun and pulls out his sword. General Scales sees Johnny coming through the smoke.

"You five, take him out."

Five Crocodiles charge at Johnny. Johnny easily deflects first Crocodiles attack, then takes two of them out with a single slash. He slashes a Crocodile to his right the stabs another. The last Crocodiles tries to run, but Johnny grabs him and runs him through.

"Holy crap, you Black Wolves are tough." General Scales shouts.

Johnny walks arrogantly up to General Scales and stares him down.

"General, I'm gonna give you a choice. Either you can surrender peacefully or I can kill every one of you."

General Scales' response is him pulling out his pistol and trying to shoot Johnny. But thanks to the Wolf Sense, Johnny knew what General Scales would do that. Johnny pulls his pistol and shoots General Scales' pistol out of his hand. General Scales jumps back. He looks and sees several Crocodiles standing on a roof, ready to take Johnny out.

"KILL HIM NOW!"

Johnny pulls out the HPC and blows up the building, killing the Crocodiles.

"This is between you and me scumbag." Johnny says and points his sword at General Scales.

"No, it's between you and my personal bodyguard."

Ten Crocodiles suddenly appear out of nowhere and attack Johnny. Their presence catches Johnny off guard, but Johnny recovers and defends himself. Johnny switches to a two – handed grip on his sword, activating its special ability. Johnny ducks under a slash and stabs the Crocodile. He then slashes two Crocodiles on his right. Johnny sees a Crocodile on his left and cuts him in half vertically. A Crocodile behind him try to stab him. Johnny dodges the attack, grabs the Crocodile's neck, and then breaks it. He blocks another attack then runs his through. Johnny kicks another Crocodile in the chest knocking him back and then delivers an elbow strike to another Crocodile's face, crushing his skull. Another Crocodile runs up behind Johnny. Johnny spins and cuts the Crocodile in half. The Crocodile he kicked down is getting up. Johnny stabs him before he can get up. The three remaining Crocodiles back off and form a circle around him. Johnny makes the finally move. He spins around quickly, cutting off all their heads.

General Scales tries to run but Johnny chases after him. Scales finds a rocket launcher. He grabs it and fires at Johnny. Johnny blocks the rocket with his sword and absorbs the blast. He then channels the energy and directs it back at General Scales. The blast hits General Scales and blows him to pieces.

At that moment, Johnny looks around and sees an entire platoon of Crocodile soldiers coming at him. Johnny ducks behind a wall, just barely dodging their fire. Johnny pulls out his HPC and turns the corner to fire only to see two Crocodiles collapse.

"We got your back Johnny." Fara calls over the radio.

Johnny walks out from the corner and faces the Crocodiles.

"My offer still stands. Surrender or die"

The Crocodiles look at each other and laugh. But their happiness is cut short. The Spectra appears out of nowhere, with all of its guns aimed at the Crocodiles. The Spectra's sudden appearance scares the crap out of the Crocodiles, literally. The Crocodiles soldiers drop their weapons and surrender.

Johnny walks up to the Crocodiles. "Where do you keep your prisoners?"

"Over there" A Crocodile points to a large building on the other side of the base.

"They'd better be there or you'll pay with your lives."

The Crocodiles, afraid for their lives, hand Johnny the keys. Johnny and Fara walk over to the building and find the prisoners in there. They set the prisoners free. Many of the prisoners thank Johnny and Fara by hugging them. But one of the hostages is Mr. Ferguson, the CEO of Moldova's oil company.

"Thank you brave soldiers for saving my life. If there's any way that I can repay you for your services just say it."

"There is one way you can repay us." Johnny replies.

"Anything, what is it?"

"We need to know if your people have found a special artifact."

"What kind of artifact?'

"It's called the Exodus. It's a very powerful energy source. We got reliable Intel that there was a strong energy reading on this planet a year ago."

"Oh I know what you're talking about. I hate to say this but the energy reading was nothing more than an energy combustion. I'm sorry" Mr. Ferguson explains.

"It's ok, thank you very much for your time."

Johnny and Fara start to walk away but Mr. Ferguson stops them. He pulls out a check and writes a number on it then hands it to Johnny.

"You're giving us a million bucks?"

"Yes, it's my way of saying thank you."

"Well, you're welcome"

Ten minutes later Johnny, Fara, Savannah, Timothy, and Daniel are standing on the Spectra's command deck. Daniel is

"HE GAVE YOU A MILLION DOLLARS?" Timothy shouts.

"Mr. Ferguson gave "us" a million dollars. But I don't need it." Johnny replies then gives the check to Timothy and Savannah. "Ya'll can split it."

Timothy and Savannah look at Johnny like he's crazy.

"I got Fara here." Johnny wraps his arm around Fara and kisses her nose. "Her father's own Space Dynamic, Corneria's number one space manufacturing company. So I got all the money I need."

"That is if we ever get married." Fara adds.

Johnny replies by kissing Fara on the lips. While Johnny is a passionate kisser his response really doesn't help the situation.

"So Captain, where are we next?" Timothy asks.

"I guess we'll head to the closest planet and see what we find. We'll use the energy scanner once we get close enough. That's the only thing that I can think of right now." Johnny replies.

Timothy just shakes his head. "I don't like the idea because it's boring. But seeing that it's our only option at this point I'll do it."

"So which planet is closest?" Savannah asks.

"Romani" Johnny answers.

"Romani, isn't that the really humid and overgrown jungle world?"

"Yes"

**For the fight scene in this chapter, try to imagine that Johnny, Fara, and Savannah are all wearing scarfs or bandannas and sunglasses to hide their identities. **


	7. Chapter 6 Old Friends and Old Enemies

**This chapter I wrote specifically for honest to god Star Fox fans. For those of you that are, you'll recognize several of the characters in this chapter. It's like a reunion between old friends. It reveals what happened to Fara after her relationship with Fox ended badly. I even provided a little reunion for Johnny and Timothy.**

Chapter 6: Old Friends and Old Enemies

Ten minutes later, Romani is in sight. Johnny, Fara, Savannah, Timothy, and Daniel look out the window to get a glimpse at the planet. They can see Romani's green glow from a distance. It looks absolutely beautiful. But Johnny, Fara, and Timothy know all too well how miserable the planet is to visitors.

Romani is a jungle infested world (much like the Amazon rainforest). The planet is covered with trees, mountains, and an unknown variety of creatures that can easily kill you. The planet's humidity, rainfall, and vegetation make the planet difficult to fly around. Romani has such a high humidity that it effects the flying and maneuverability of space craft. The humidity also makes living on the planet miserable. Romani usually has a relative humidity of 85% to 95%. It constantly rains on Romani as well. Romani gets an average of 200 feet of rainfall per year. It rains almost every day. Floods are very common on Romani. The rain makes it difficult to land and fly. The rain clouds block the visibility of passing space craft, which has caused numerous wrecks. The vegetation is also difficult. The planet has very few flat areas were a space craft to land. Plus, ships have gotten tangled in the vines and the vegetation. The dense vegetation also makes walking around very difficult.

When they get close enough, Timothy performs a quick energy reading of the planet. The analysis comes back negative, no energy readings on Romani.

"Johnny, the Exodus is not here."

"Good, let's get it out of here."

Johnny, Fara, and Savannah start walking downstairs but Daniel stays by the window. He suddenly notices something in the distance.

"Daddy, there's someone under attack."

"What are you talking about Daniel?"

Johnny walks back to the window. Daniel points to what appears to be a small battle.

"Timothy, does this ship have a scope?"

"Of course it does."

Timothy focuses the scope on the battle and brings it on screen. The fight is between a Crocodile Squadron and four unknown fighters. The fighters appear to be losing. Johnny, Fara, and Timothy can tell that the fighters are not Zaldon military.

"So what is the plan Johnny?" Fara asks.

"Simple, we jump in and help them out."

Johnny, Fara, and Savannah jump into their ships and join the fight. They form the same triangle formation as before. Timothy follows close behind them.

"Mind if we join in?" Johnny sarcastically asks over the radio.

"No, we appreciate the help." One of the fighters responds.

Timothy immediately recognizes the voice over the radio.

"Katrina is that you?"

"Tim, it's been a long time."

The Crocodile sees Star Ghost coming and several of them advance towards them. Johnny, Fara, and Savannah play chicken with the Crocodiles. The Crocodiles chicken out and part three ways. Johnny, Fara, and Savannah fly past the Crocodiles and perform a U – turn, putting them behind the Crocodiles. They each take a different group. Johnny follows a group of three fighters. Johnny locks onto the middle fighter and fires. The blast hits the fighter, destroys two of them, and damages the third. Johnny finishes him off with a single blast.

"Dang, I was expecting more from these guys."

Fara follows a group of five fighters. Wanting a little bit of a challenge, Fara only focuses on one fighter at a time and doesn't use her ship's locking system. She takes out three of the Crocodiles no problem. But the last two separate. Fara chases after one knowing that the other will try to maneuver behind her. She easily takes out the first Crocodile and finds the other right behind her trying to shoot her down. But Fara easily dodges and somersaults over the Crocodile, ending up behind him.

"You're right Johnny, these Crocodiles are terrible pilots." Fara comments as she shoots down the last Crocodile.

Savannah ends up right behind three Crocodiles. She stays back, trying to keep her ship from moving ahead of the Crocodiles. The Wolverine's slowest combat speed is just barely under the top speed of the Crocodile fighters. Savannah has to keep her foot on the brake to stay behind them. She locks onto the middle fighter and takes out all three Crocodiles in one blast.

The remaining Crocodile fighters turn and flee right towards the Spectra. Timothy takes them all out. Not one Crocodile fighter remains. In less than a minute, Star Ghost has defeated the Crocodile squadron and saved the unknown fighters. Now that the fight is over, Johnny turns to the fighters his team rescue to see if they need help, as is custom for a Captain.

"This is Captain of the Star Ghost mercenary squad. Do any of you need assistance?" Johnny calls over the radio.

"Yes, all of our ships have been damaged in some way." A sexy female voice responds.

Fara immediately recognizes the voice. "Fay, is that you?"

"Fara, oh my gosh, it's been so long."

"Is that Fara Phoenix?" A second female voice responds.

"Yeah it is, the lovely Fara Phoenix." Another female voice answers.

"Miyu, Katt, the whole gang is here." Fara shouts. "It's like one big reunion."

Ten minutes later Katt, Fay, Miyu, Katrina, Fara, and Savannah are sitting together aboard the Spectra. Johnny and Daniel are making sure that the ladies ships are being repaired. The women can see them from where they're sitting. They are busy catching up when Timothy walks up. He sits down beside Katrina. Katrina is a Mountain Lion. She is the biggest, height and muscle – wise, of all the women on board. She stands at least six feet tall and is bulging with muscles. Katrina has a long scar on her right cheek from a knife wound. Strapped to her side is a tomahawk, a bowie knife, and multiple throwing knives. Katrina looks like a primitive warrior.

"Been worse, been better too. How are things with you?"

"Could be worse"

"How do you two know each other?" Katt asks Timothy and Katrina.

"We go way back. I meet Timothy about 15 years ago. I was living in the Zaldon Forests, by myself at the time, when I got arrested for breaking into someone's house looking for food. I was sent to jail where I met Timothy. He was in with the warden and managed to get him to let me go. Timothy and I were inseparable after that. We went everywhere together and fought alongside each other during our time in the military. But then Timothy was recruited into the Wild Cats Squadron and our relationship ended shortly after that." Katrina explains. "So Katt, how do you, Miyu, and Fay known Fara?"

"We went to the Cornerian Flight Academy together. We were all in the same class. The four of us were best friends back then. But that changed when the Andross became t. He Emperor of Venom. Fara left the Academy along with Star Fox while the rest of us stayed in the Academy." Fay explains.

"You fought alongside Star Fox?" Katrina asks Fara surprised and shocked.

"Yes, I fought alongside them for a year, primarily because I was in love with Fox McCloud at the time. But I left the team after my relationship with him ended badly. After that I worked at my father's company, Space Dynamics, as a test pilot for two years. But it got boring after a while. So I decided to explore the universe for a little bit. I took my Arwing and somehow ended up on Zaldon where I was reunited with Johnny."

"What do you mean reunited?" Miyu asks.

"I met Johnny a year before the Lylat Wars. He saved my life twice. I met him again three years later on Zaldon. At that time, Johnny was a member of the Wild Cats Squadron and a war hero. He had fought in the Zaldon Civil War a year before."

The Zaldon Civil War took place a year before the Lylat Wars and continued on for two years. The war was between the Zaldon government and the Zaldon rebellion. The rebels believed that Zaldon government had become a tyrant. The majority of the rebels were from other planets that Zaldon controlled. Their primary objective was to see Zaldon withdraw from the other planets. For the first part of the war, the rebels were winning. They used guerilla warfare tactics against Zaldon. The Zaldon military was not used to fighting small armies. Zaldon primary goes against large, well equipped enemies. So halfway through the war, the Zaldon military turned to using BlackOps and SpecOps forces and tactics instead of traditional army tactics. The Wild Cats Squadron saw more action than any other unit. They were responsible for bringing down the Zaldon and killing their leaders. What remained of the Zaldon Rebellion scattered after the war. It still exists, just not to the same effect.

"Johnny and Colonel Bobcat Harrison managed to convince me to join the Wild Cats Squadron. I was the first woman to join the team. During that time, Johnny taught me Maui Thai. You see he sort of became my unofficial bodyguard and he believed that it would help me. It took a while for us to fall in love. We dated for a long time but never really got involved until Johnny saved my life again a year ago. We fell in love after that."

"So are you two engaged or what?" Fay asks.

"No, we're just a couple at the moment. I know that he's going to propose to me soon."

"Uh Fara, I hate to stop you but why are you in love with a guy like Johnny. Your kind of guys are sweet and gentle." Miyu says.

"It may not appear that way but Johnny is a very sweat guy. He is one of the nicest guys that I've ever met. Besides being nice, he's also honorable, intelligent, funny. . ."

"And don't forget sexy." Fay adds and winks at Fara.

"Of course you'd think like that Fay. Your mind has always been sex." Fara replies trying not to laugh. "I fell in love with Johnny for his kindness and because we are a lot alike. You see Johnny is a Cerinian prince. When he was training to become a warrior, the other's looked down at him because they believed that his father's influence got him there. They believed that he didn't deserve to be there. So Johnny had to work hard to earn their respect. As a result he became one of their best, if not the best, warrior. I went through the same thing at the Academy. So I was able to relate to him on that. Plus, we've both had relationship that've ended badly."

"You talking about your relationship with Fox?" Katt asks.

"Yes, you see before Johnny met me he fell in love with a blue fox. They got married five years ago. But she died giving birth to their son. That boy tagging alongside Johnny is his son Daniel. Johnny had to raise him on his own. I guess you can say that I've kind of become Daniel's mother. I've been helping him raise Daniel for a year now. But if there's one thing that really gets me about him is how traditional Johnny can be sometimes." Fara explains.

"What do you mean?" Miyu asks.

"Well Johnny's people are very old fashioned on most things. For one, his people still prefer to use swords over guns. But that is not what I'm talking about. You see, when it comes to dating, it is tradition for the guy to ask the woman's parents for permission before they start dating. To date without the parents' permission is frowned upon, but it is not against the law. So before we started dating, Johnny asked my father for permission. It was kind of awkward. But my father said yes. We immediately started dating after that."

"So how often to you two do it?" Fay asks with a playful smiles.

"We haven't done it yet. We've promised that we're going to wait till we're married. Besides Fay, it may be hard for you to believe that I'm a virgin."

At that moment, Johnny walks up and sits down beside Fara. He wraps his arm around Fara's shoulder. Daniel ruins the moment by sitting on Johnny's lap.

"Your ships are fully repaired. Now if you don't mind me asking, what are you four doing out here?" Johnny asks.

"We were tracking the Crocodiles." Katt answers. "We received a transmission about the Crocodiles moving from planet to planet and attacking everything in their path. I guess we got to close and they attacked us. That's when you guys came along and saved us. Now we owe you big time. If there's anything we can do just ask."

"Actually there is." Johnny replies. "We may need your help to accomplish our current task."

"What are you trying to do?"

Savannah explains everything to Katt, Fay, Miyu, and Katrina.

"Alright, we'll help you find the Exodus. I think that I may know someone who can help." Katt answers.

"Who?" Johnny asks.

"A person known only as the Wolf."

"You're referring to the leader of the Zaldon rebellion aren't you?"

"Yes, rumor has it that the rebels have recently located a powerful artifact. It may just be the Exodus." Katt explains.

But you know that their not just going to give us the information. The rebels have a tendency to attack anyone that comes near them." Savannah replies.

"That's why we're going to attack them first and force the Wolf to tell us." Johnny says, smiling. "Do you know where the rebels are?"

"Yes, they have a base on Romani. The Wolf is probably there." Katt answers.

"Oh crap"

An hour later the Spectra is hovering over the rebel base on Romani. Savannah, Katt, and Fay are loading into their ships. Johnny, Fara, Katrina, and Miyu are strapping on parachutes. Timothy hovers the Spectra 10,000 feet above the rebel base, while cloaked. Johnny looks over at Fay and he can tell that she is nervous.

"Hey Fay, how many combat jumps have you done?"

"I haven't done this since the Academy. So I might be a little rusty."

"It's alright, just pull the cord before the needle hits the red area and you'll live." Fara advises.

"You seem to know a lot about this Fara. How many times have you done this?" Katrina asks.

Fara thinks it over for a moment. "I think I've got at least 25 jumps. But that's nowhere near as many as Johnny. He's got at least 60 under his belt."

"So basically we just pull the cord when he does?" Fay sarcastically comments.

Johnny just shakes his head. He's done this so many times that he doesn't even find it fun anymore. He choose Fara, Miyu, and Katrina to go with him because of their hand to hand combat skills. He knows what Fara and Katrina are capable of. Fara backs up Miyu's fighting skills. Johnny turns to Daniel who is standing by the force field activation button.

"Now Daniel listen to me closely. As soon as I tell you push that button and count to ten. Then push it again. Do you understand me?"

"Yes daddy"

"Good"

Johnny, Fara, Katrina, and Miyu walk over to the edge of the docking bay. Johnny signals Daniel to deactivate the force field. As soon as Daniel deactivates it, Johnny, Fara, Miyu, and Katrina jump out. The cold, moist air hits them and wakes them up. Fara, Miyu, and Katrina follow Johnny closely. The adrenaline rush hits them all. They fall for what seems like forever but really it's only thirty seconds. Johnny feels the wind blowing his pony tail around violently. He's a little worried that his hair will get tangled up in the chute. The lush, green vegetation suddenly comes into view. Johnny pulls the cord and his chute deploys. The sudden stop is violent. It hurts Johnny's crotch every time. It makes Johnny wonder if he's even going to be able to have children with Fara after so many jumps. Johnny looks up and sees that Fara, Miyu, and Katrina's chutes have all successfully deployed. Johnny looks down at the surface and sees a small clearing in the distance. Johnny signals for the others to follow him. They all land in the clearing, only to find out that is a marsh. They all sink a little when they land. Miyu gets stuck in the mud. Johnny and Fara crawl through the mud and pool her out.

"Dang it Miyu, couldn't you have landed in the water like the rest of us." Fara whispers.

All four of them are covered in mud. They crawl to the edge of the marsh and wrap up their parachutes. Johnny radios Timothy on their situation. "Laser (referring to Timothy), we're on the ground. Tell the others to launch."

"Yes sir Captain."

Johnny, Fara, Miyu, and Katrina run towards the rebel base. The base is well hidden in the jungle, making it undetectable to the ships. Johnny has to laser the base so Savannah, Katt, and Fay can attack it. Timothy flies the Spectra up close to the base and fires on it with the 105mm cannons. The cannons rock but don't destroy the base. They don't want to destroy anything and accidentally kill the Wolf. From where they are, Johnny, Fara, Miyu, and Katrina can see the rebels scrambling to get to their fighters. Suddenly, Savannah appears in the Wolverine, and destroys the rebel fighters before they can get in them. Fay and Katt show up behind them and mop up. Very few rebel fighters remain. Those that do jump in their ships and launch a counterattack.

"Ok, now is our chance. We stick together and watch each other's backs. Remember to check your corners and mind the gap." Johnny orders.

Johnny jumps down and lands on a group of six rebels. Johnny kills two of the rebels before they can get up. He then delivers a palm strike to a rebel's nose, pushing it into his brain, killing him. Johnny blocks a strike from another rebel and delivers a powerful roundhouse punch to the jaw, breaking his neck. The two remaining rebels attack Johnny at once. Johnny dodges both of their attacks. He kicks on rebel down and grabs the other. He then breaks the rebel's neck. The remaining rebel jumps up and tries to kick Johnny. Johnny blocks the kick, and kicks the rebel in his leg, breaking it.

"Holy crap Fara, you weren't kidding when you said that Johnny is a tough guy." Miyu says.

"I told you."

The four of them try to sneak into the base. But they come across two rebels that are guarding the entrance.

"Now it's my turn." Katrina whispers.

Katrina pulls out her bowie knife and tomahawk and rushes towards the rebels. She strikes one of the guards in the head with the tomahawk. The other rebels tries to shoot her but Katrina blocks his gun with her tomahawk and stabs him in the chest with her knife. She finishes him off with a tomahawk to the head.

"Impressed" Katrina calls to Johnny.

"A little"

Johnny looks back and sees four rebels running towards them. "Fara, Miyu, take them out quietly."

"You got Captain"

Fara and Miyu hide behind a wall and wait for the rebels to walk past them. They jump the rebels from behind. Miyu knocks down two of the rebels. She breaks their necks before they can get up. Fara kicks down one rebel and attacks the other with an elbow to the face. The blow stuns the rebel long enough for Fara to deliver a death blow. Fara pulls out a knife and kills the last rebel.

"Dang Fara, you've gained some skill."

"I have Johnny to thank for that."

Johnny, Fara, Miyu, and Katrina form on the door. The rebels have no idea that they're there. But all that is about to change. Johnny pulls out a flash bang and is about to throw it inside when Timothy radios them. "Uh Captain, we've got a situation up here. A small group of fighters just warped into the area. One of them is piloting a Striker."

"A Striker, but only members of the Wild Cats Squadron have those." Johnny replies. "What are its tail numbers?"

"Tango Tango Alpha One Three Niner Foxtrot"

"Gideon" Fara exclaims. "Timothy does the Spectra have a teleporter?"

"Of course it does."

"Good, teleport my ship to the air field."

"Why"

"Because I'm the only one here that can beat him."

"Alright, give me a moment."

Before they know it, the Ghost Arwing appears in the rebel's air field. Fara turns to Johnny before running to it. "Can you handle this without me Johnny?"

"Of course I can. Now go kick his butt."

The last thing Fara's sees of Johnny before running off is him tossing the flash bang inside and him enter the base with Miyu and Katrina close behind him.

Fara climbs into the Ghost Arwing and takes off after Gideon. She spots Gideon chasing Fay. He is landing some good blows. Gideon is close to shooting down Fay when Fara lands a blow on his wing. The blow shakes Gideon's ship.

"Who dares to shoot me?" Gideon's cocky voice echoes over the radio.

"An old ex – girlfriend."

"Fara Phoenix, it's been a long time."

"Not long enough." Fara replies and blasts Gideon again.

"Did you mourn for me when I was shot down?" Gideon cockily asks.

"We all did. Everyone thought that you were dead."

"But I wasn't dead. I was alive. What hurt me the most is that no one came looking for me after I was shot down."

"After the way you treated everyone, especially Johnny and me, did you really think that any of us would miss you?"

"Yes, I'm Gideon, the best pilot in the Genesis System."

"And that's why I broke up with you. You're undeserved ego was too much to deal with."

Gideon u – turns and disappears from Fara's view. The next thing Fara knows, Gideon is behind her shooting at her. Fara deploys expert emergency maneuvers to avoid Gideon's attacks but it doesn't work. Gideon knows all of the techniques.

"You were good Fara. You were the one person besides Johnny that could challenge me. But none of you could ever beat me."

"Until now" Fara shouts and performs a somersault. She ends up right behind Gideon. Before Gideon can respond, Fara locks on and blasts him, disabling his ship. Gideon crashes down on the surface in a ball of fire. Fara sees Gideon eject just before his ship crashes. She debates whether or not to go back and kill him but decides not to. Fara is very honorable. "Captain, the skies are clear. How are things done there?"

"Things are going great down here Star." Johnny replies as he finishes off a rebel with a head shot. "We haven't found the Wolf yet but we'll tear this base apart to find him."

Johnny, Miyu, and Katrina found an entire platoon of rebels waiting for them when they bursts in. Fortunately, the flash bang was able to stun the rebels long enough for Johnny, Miyu, and Katrina to take them out. Nearly every rebel in the room is not either dead or severely injured. Johnny walks to the end of the base and finds two corridors. "You two take the left, I'll take the right." Miyu and Katrina head down the left and Johnny takes the right.

Johnny slowly and cautiously moves down the corridor. His blaster is ready to fire. Johnny comes to a small room at the end of the corridor. He finds no one there. Suddenly, someone jumps Johnny from behind and knocks him to the floor. His blaster slides to the other side of the room. Johnny jumps and comes face to face with a dark, cloaked figure and two rebels.

"What are you doing here?" The cloaked figure asks.

"I'm looking for the Wolf."

"Well you found him. But I must warn you, I will not go quietly."

Johnny smiles to himself. "I was hoping you'd say that."

The two rebels rush at Johnny. Johnny easily dodges their attacks and knocks both of them down. But the rebels are up quicker than Johnny expected. They attack Johnny continuously. To Johnny's surprise, the rebels are using techniques that only a Black Wolf would know. Fortunately, they are no match for Johnny. Johnny kills them both.

"Your good man." The Wolf says and takes off the cloak. His face is still hidden. "But I'm better."

The Wolf attacks Johnny so fast that it catches him off guard. The Wolf lands a blow on Johnny and knocks him back into the wall. Johnny shakes it off quickly for the Wolf is back on his instantly. It takes everything Johnny has to avoid the Wolf's attacks. Finally Johnny sees an opening and takes it. He delivers a powerful uppercut to the Wolf's jaw, knocking him in the air. The Wolf lands on the ground with a thud. But to Johnny's surprise, the Wolf jumps back up laughing. That blow would have killed an average man.

"It's been a while since I've taken a hit."

"Well it's not going to be the last."

Johnny jumps at the Wolf and attacks him with everything he's got. The Wolf expertly blocks all of Johnny's attacks. Johnny continues to attack until he lands a side kick on the Wolf's chest. The blow knocks the Wolf back. But before Johnny can attack the Wolf counterattacks. The Wolf jumps in the air and tries to deliver a powerful knee strike to Johnny's head. Johnny manages to duck under the attack, but he recognizes the technique. "_Only one person knows that move."_

"Triton, is that you?"

The Wolf sudden stops and stares at Johnny. He takes off the hood. Johnny takes off his mask. Triton smiles when he sees that he was fighting Johnny. "It's been a long time little brother."

Johnny is so stunned that he can barely talk. "Triton . . . I thought . . . I killed you. I saw you die."

"I was wearing a Kevlar vest. It's good to see you again brother."

Johnny's confusion is replaced with rage. He pulls of his sword and aims it Triton's throat. "After everything you've done to me, give me one reason why I shouldn't slit your throat and watch you bleed all over the place."

"Because I have information you need. Now tell me before I take your sword and kill you with it."

Johnny tells Triton everything. Triton stands there looking at Johnny. "So Triton, I heard that your men may have found something that may be Exodus. Is this true?"

"Yes, we found the Exodus on Jeremiah a few months ago. But we've been unsuccessful in retrieving it. The Cerinians that buried it there obviously didn't want anyone removing it. I'll tell my men there that you're coming. They will help you."

"Thank you Triton."

Johnny turns to leave Triton stops him. "Johnny, please tell me are Elizabeth and Shawn safe? I need to know."

"Yes, they miss you, we all do. Shawn desperately wants to see his father."

"And Elizabeth?"

"She still loves you." Johnny replies. "You know that while you cannot return to Cerinia, Elizabeth and Shawn can come and see you. I can arrange that if you want."

"No, the farther they are away from me the safer they are. It hurts me to say that. I still love them. I desperately want to see them again, but it'd be safer for them if they didn't."

Johnny just shakes his head. He doesn't understand why Triton would refuse to see the two people he loves more than anything. "Triton, I promise you that I will tell Elizabeth and Shawn that you still love them."

"Thank you brother and good luck."

**The story is still not over. I am working on the next chapter right now. Hopefully I will have it up in the next few days. **


	8. Chapter 7 The Exodus

**Hope that you had enjoyed the story so far. I'm trying to make it interesting. **

**In this chapter, I'm providing a little background story to Johnny Storm. It should clear up any confusion, especially the reason why Johnny was so hostile towards Triton in the last chapter. **

Chapter 7: The Exodus

Fara makes back to the Spectra first. She finds Daniel there waiting for her or his father. Daniel runs to Fara and hugs her. It catches her off guard. Fara is not used to Daniel acting to her like this. But then again, she is the closest thing that Daniel has to mother. Fay and Katt fly in next, followed by Katrina and Miyu. All of them appear to be looking for an answer to something.

"Hey Fara, who was that Gideon dude?" Fay asks.

"An ex – boyfriend of mine. I dated him not long after I joined the Wild Cats Squadron. But I broke up with him because of his attitude. Gideon believed that he was the best pilot and the Genesis System. It made him very rude to everyone, especially Johnny. The two of them never got along. Gideon even treated me wrong." Fara explains. "A week after I broke up with him, Gideon was shot down over Romani. We all believed that he was dead. Somehow he joined the Zaldon Rebellion."

Johnny arrives a moment later. Daniel runs to him but Fara stops him. The look on his face is enough to tell her that he needs to be left alone. Fara knows that Johnny is absolutely furious by looking at him. Then Johnny blows a fuse and punches the wall. His fist leaves a huge hole in the wall. Fara has only seen Johnny this angry once, and it terrified her. Everyone just stands there looking at him. Johnny doesn't say a word and just walks to his room.

"Ok, WHAT IS HIS PROBLEM?" Katt shouts.

"Triton is his problem." Fara answers.

"Who's Triton and why would he piss Johnny off so badly?"

Fara realizes that Katt, Fay, Miyu, and Katrina are not wearing the Wild Cat headset. It is the latest and most advanced piece of communication hardware there is. It was designed specifically for pilots and soldiers to communication. It allows the pilots to know exactly what is going on the ground. To the pilot it feels like they are side by side the soldiers. It also has a tremendous range. A pilot can communicate with a soldier on the ground if they are on the other side of the galaxy. The Wild Cats Squadron is one of the few units in both the Lylat and Genesis systems that have the headsets. From her headset Fara was able to listen to Johnny and Triton's conversation as if she was there. She was just as surprised as Johnny was to hear that Triton was the Wolf.

"Triton is Jonathan's older brother." Savannah answers. Savannah's known Johnny and Triton since they were kids so Fara lets her explain. "They are both Cerinian princes but Triton was the heir to the Black Wolf clan throne. But their nobility didn't bring any hostility between them. They were once best friends. They backed each other up when things got bad. They even trained side by side. Johnny looked up to Triton. Triton was the better and wiser fighter. Everyone looked up to him, especially Johnny."

"So what happened?' Fay asks.

"Triton got them both banished." Fara answers. Savannah looks at Fara very surprised.

"How do you know?" Savannah asks.

"Johnny told me everything." Fara answers then turns to the others. "Ten years ago, Triton got into a fight and Johnny backed him up. But Triton surprised everyone when he killed one of his opponents. Triton was banished as a result. Johnny was banished because he could have stopped Triton but didn't. All Johnny had to do was reach over and grab him. But Johnny didn't because he assumed that Triton wouldn't kill him. He thought that Triton would just severely injure the guy. But he was wrong."

"What was the fight about?" Miyu asks.

"It's a little difficult to explain. Johnny told me that Triton attacked the group when one of them didn't return his nod."

"Are you serious?" Miyu replies shocked.

"Yes, you see honor is very important to their people. Greetings between wolves, especially noble wolves, is not something to joke about. So when a noble wolf like Triton and Johnny waves or nods at someone, it is considered very dishonorable. But Triton definitely took it overboard by killing the guy." Fara explains. "Johnny was partially banished, meaning that he could go back, he'd just have to earn it. Triton, on the other hand, was banished without possibility to return. He could be killed if he returned. The banishment ruined Johnny's life, especially his relationship with Jasmine. As a result, Johnny built up a lot of anger towards Triton. But Johnny didn't let it slow him down. He joined the Zaldon Military as a pilot and became a war hero in the Zaldon Civil War, which earned Johnny his way back. Triton joined the Zaldon Rebellion. They fought each other during the war. Near the end of the war Johnny was forced to kill Triton, which he did. But now we know that somehow Triton was able to survive and become the leader of the Zaldon Rebellion."

Katt, Fay, Miyu, and Katrina just look at each other. None of them has any idea what to say. The silence quickly becomes awkward. Katt finally breaks the silence: "Well that explains a lot. No wonder your boyfriend was so pissed off."

"So how long will it take for him to cool down?" Fay asks.

"It'll take a few minutes before he's calmed enough to talk to. I'll talk to him and try to calm him down." Fara replies then turns to Timothy. "Tim, I monitored the conversation between Johnny and Triton. Triton said that his men had located the Exodus on Jeremiah."

"Ok, I'll set a course from Jeremiah."

"Wait a minute." Katt interrupts. "Don't you need permission from your leader first?"

"Johnny would want us to head there as soon as possible." Fara replies. "Trust me, I know Johnny, it's what he would want. If he is pissed off I'll calm him down."

"Are you absolutely sure about that Fara?" Fay asks cautiously. Johnny's outburst scared everyone.

"Yes, I'm the only one that can." Fara walks off to find Johnny.

Fay leans in close to Savannah and whispers: "Fara is a very lucky women."

"How do you figure?"

"Well for one, her father is a business tycoon so he has a lot of money. And now her boyfriend is a prince. How lucky can a girl get?"

Savannah just shakes her head in disappointment. "Fara is not marrying Johnny because of his nobility that much I can guarantee you. When Johnny returned to Cerinia his father offered him Triton's birth right, but he refused it. He gave it to his little sister. Johnny didn't see himself as a clan leader, although he is a good military leader."

Savanah's comment shuts Fay up. She doesn't say another word to Savannah for a long time.

Ten minutes later, Fara walks into Johnny' and her room to talk to him. Fara finds Johnny sitting on the edge of the bed. He looks like he is deep in thought. Fara slowly and cautiously approaches him. Johnny doesn't even look up at her.

"Johnny, I told Timothy to set a course for Jeremiah. We'll be there in half an hour."

Johnny looks up at Fara. Fara can tell that Johnny's anger has gone. His anger has been replaced with confusion. "Thank you for telling me."

"You're welcome, now why don't you tell me what's bothering you Johnny?"

"I don't know. Since I saw Triton, I can't stop thinking about how he got us both banished. I know that was ten years ago. I put it behind me after Daniel was born. But seeing him again brought back all the anger. It just pissed me off so much. When I saw him today I wanted to kill him so badly."

Fara sits down on the bad next to Johnny. She gently grasps Johnny's hands in hers and plants a kiss on his cheek.

"John, I can't pretend to know how you feel. I don't have any brothers or sisters. No one has wronged me like Triton has wronged you. But I do know that you need to let it go. It happened ten years ago. Besides, a lot of good has happened because of your banishment. You and I would have never met for one."

Fara sees a small smile make its way across Johnny's face. Johnny grasps Fara's hand and kisses her, gently at first, but it comes stronger and more passionate. Fara feels Johnny's tongue roll over hers. Fara places her hands gently on Johnny's chest then pushes him on the bed. Fara practically jumps on top of Johnny and kisses him passionately. Johnny feels Fara's soft fur on his. Her body feels light on top of his. Johnny is about to start taking off his clothes when he remembers their promise. He grabs Fara's shoulders and forces her to the side.

"Sorry Fara, but we can't do this, at least not yet. Remember the promise we made to each other." Johnny can tell by looking at Fara's glare that she is very upset. He knows that he'd better say something or get smacked. "Fara, I desperately want to go all the way with you. I love you so much that when I'm around you my heart wants to explode. But from my experience with Jasmine, it's better if we wait."

"You mean if we wait till we're married." Fara says, trying to bring the subject to Johnny asking her to marry him.

"Uh, yeah that's what I mean." Johnny replies, scratching the back of his head.

Fara can tell that Johnny is getting nervous and the situation is getting awkward. She knows that Johnny is going to ask her, he's just waiting for the right moment, something sentimental. This is not it. Fara's response is a gentle kiss. "It's ok Johnny, I love you to, with all of my heart. I know that you are not ready yet. But I am willing to wait till you are."

Johnny looks a Fara a little confused. "So are you saying that you're willing to wait or that you're breaking up with me? I'm having a hard time telling which one you mean."

Fara laughs and pats Johnny on the shoulder. "John, I can promise you that I'm not breaking up with you. I love you too much for that. All I'm saying is that I won't bug you about it anymore."

"Great, it was really starting to annoy me." Johnny says sarcastically.

Fara punches Johnny in the shoulder as hard as she can. The blow does hardly anything to Johnny but he acts like it does. "Now I regret teaching you Maui Thai."

"Then don't make those comments and I won't have to hurt you." Fara replies jokingly. She knows that she could never hurt Johnny, he is too highly skilled for that. "Now I expect to see you outside in a few minutes. Daniel wants to see his father."

Johnny smiles and tries not to laugh. "Ok babe, I'll be out there soon."

"Of course you will." Fara replies sarcastically. Fara flaunts herself as she walks out. Johnny watches her tail sway back and forth.

"_Dang, she's got me under her spell_."

Thirty minutes later, Star Ghost arrives at Jeremiah. They can see Jeremiah's brown, deathly glow from the Spectra. The planet has been uninhabitable for years. A hundred years ago, Jeremiah's inhabitants were divided into two powerful clans. A war broke out clans, which last a decade. The war ended with both of the clans nuking each other. The planet became a nuclear waste land (similar to Chernobyl). There is not a single living organism on the planet because of the radiation. After a hundred years, the radiation levels are still dangerously high.

"Tim, radio the rebels. Tell them we've arrived." Johnny orders.

"Yes Captain."

Timothy radios the rebels but gets no response. They immediately know that something is up. A dead silence falls on the group.

"The Crocodiles couldn't already be there." Fara finally says, breaking the silence.

"I hope not. But let's not rule it out as a possibility. We experienced the same thing on Moldova." Johnny replies.

At that moment, a static voice comes over the radio. "Hello . . . anyone out . . . there. We need . . . help. We were . . . attacked by an . . . unknown enemy and . . . had to flee. Can anyone . . . help us?"

"Tim, trace that signal." Johnny orders.

"Yes sir."

Timothy quickly pin points the signal to a small ship fleeing Jeremiah. The screen indicates that it is a rebel ship. Johnny orders Timothy to fly close enough to get a clear radio signal. Once they are, Johnny contacts the rebels. "Rebel ship, this is Captain of the Star Ghost team. We are here to help. What happened down there?"

"Our base came under attack by some Crocodile people. We were busy excavating the Exodus when they attacked. We fled because they outnumbered us. But before we retreated, we destroyed our base, burying the Exodus underneath it. The Exodus is out and ready to move. All we need to do is find it in the rubble."

"Thank you for your help. We'll take it from here."

Johnny turns off the radio and turns to Timothy. "Hey Tim, is the Destroyer protected against radiation?"

"Yes, I designed it for these types of missions. I even got a few radiation suits you can use."

"Good, I'll take the Destroyer down to the surface. Fara, Savannah, I want you two to cover me from the ski." Johnny orders then turns to Fay, Miyu, Katt, Katrina, and Timothy. Everyone else, provide a distraction. Attack the Crocodiles and lead them away from here. That should buy me enough time to retrieve the Exodus. Any questions?"

There are none.

"Good, then let's go get some Crocodile ass."

Ten minutes later, the Spectra is flying towards a small Crocodile squadron of eight battleships and 25 fighters that is hovering over the former rebel base. Timothy flies the Spectra, while cloaked, up to the battleships. He flies it right between two of the battleships undetected.

"Ok, Captain, Star, and Flash, now is the time to deploy."' Timothy radios down.

Johnny, piloting the Destroyer tank, drives out of the Spectra and hovers safely down the ground. Fara and Savannah follow him in their ships.

Timothy then opens fire on the two battleships with the 105mm cannons. The cannons rip the two battleships apart, destroying them. Timothy then fires the two front laser cannons are the two closest battleships. The lasers hit the battleships and blows them up. Timothy then deactivates the Ghost Program revealing himself to the remaining Crocodile battleships. He then turns around and flies out to space with the four battleships close behind him. The entire squadron chases after Timothy. Unbeknownst to them Katt, Fay, Miyu, and Katrina are waiting to ambush them.

Down on the surface, Johnny finishes activating all of the Destroyer's weapons and devices. He's going to need them. Before the mission started, Timothy performed an enemy analysis from the Spectra. It indicated that an entire battalion was at the base. Fortunately, most of them are foot soldiers and possess light guns, posing hardly any threat to Johnny. But the Crocodiles do have a few combat fighters and tanks at the base. Fara and Savannah's job is to take out the Crocodile's air forces, any anti – air forces they have, and provide Johnny with support when he needs it.

"Alright, it's two miles to the base from here. We need to hurry and get there fast while the element of surprise is still on our side. Star, Flash, you two get there before I do and take out anything that poses a threat to me." Johnny orders.

"Yes Captain" Fara and Savannah answer in unison.

Fara and Savannah fly full speed towards the base. They use the same tactic that they used on Moldova. Savannah flies in first and gets everyone's attention. All the fighters take off after her and try to take her out. All the anti – air guns open fire on her. But Savannah flies too fast for them to hit her. But Savannah looks back and sees 15 Crocodile fighters on her tail.

"Hurry up Fara, I got a bunch of guys on my tail."

Fara flies in behind Savannah. She sees there are five anti – air guns. They are all positioned close together. Fara locks onto the middle one and takes them all out with a Nova bomb. She then concentrates on the fighters chasing Savannah. Fara locks onto as many as her Ghost Arwing's system will allow her and fires a charged blast at each of them. Fara takes out ten of them. The remaining Crocodile fighters separate and fly towards Fara, taking their attention off of Savannah. Savannah u – turns and flies towards the fighters. She ends up behind two of them. Savannah rapidly fires as many blast as she can. Her shots are not very accurate but she is able to take them both out.

"Dang it Flash, try to aim before you shoot." Fara scolds Savannah.

"Sorry, I got a little carried away there."

"Well don't, not paying attention is how you get shot down."

"You mean like how you're not paying attention to the three fighters behind you."

Fara looks behind and sees three Crocodile fighters on tail. She tries to shake them but can't. These guys are determined to take her out.

"Hey I hate to ask this but I need help, now."

Fara's computer suddenly starts beeping. She knows it means that one of the fighters has a lock on her. But before the Crocodile can fire, a laser comes from nowhere and takes him out. Two more lasers appear and take out the remaining two Crocodiles.

"Was that you Flash?" Fara asks Savannah.

"No, it wasn't me."

"Then who was it?

"You're welcome Fara." Johnny's calls over the radio. Sorry it took me so long to get here. The terrain wasn't flat at all."

"Thank you Captain. Sorry you had to see such bad flying."

"It's alright, you're still alive, and that's all that matters. Now let's get this over with."

Johnny drives the Destroyer right up to the base. He is immediately spotted by two Crocodile tanks and several soldiers. Johnny blasts both of the tanks with the Destroyer's laser cannons and takes out the soldiers with the Gatling gun.

"Holy crap, this thing has some powerful lasers." Johnny shouts, referring to the fact that the Destroyer's laser cannons were almost twice as powerful as the double hyper beams on the Phantom.

Johnny gets the attention on the entire Crocodile battalion. The Crocodile soldiers take cover behind anything they can. The tanks fire at Johnny but the Destroyer's shields are too powerful. The blasts hardly do any damage. Johnny concentrates on the tanks first. He fires a concentrated blast at each of them. When the blasts hit the tanks, they not only blow the tanks into a million pieces, but they also leave a huge hole in the ground and take out any soldiers that are nearby. In less than thirty seconds, Johnny has taken out ten Crocodile tanks. He then concentrates on finding the Exodus. The rebels provided him a map that indicates the exact location of the Exodus. Johnny hardly pays any attention to the Crocodile soldiers as he drives. Their weapons aren't powerful enough to cause damage. But some of them do have rocket launchers. The Destroyers has a device on it that detects any rocket launchers within a five hundred yard radius. Johnny is able to easily take them out. As he drives, Johnny rolls over everything in his path. The Destroyer has a battering ram on the front that is designed to run through buildings with ease. This comes in very useful. There are several buildings in the base and Johnny doesn't feel like driving around them. He drives straight through them, occasionally running over Crocodile soldiers.

It takes Johnny a minute to find the building that the Exodus is under. Johnny drives the Destroyer right to the center of the building. He then puts the Exodus in automatic defense mode. If any Crocodile soldier comes near the Gatling gun will take them out. Before he jumps out, Johnny makes sure that his radiation suit is ready and safe to use. He grabs his blaster and HPC and jumps out.

Johnny uses the map the rebels gave him to find the Exodus. It leads him to a small room. Johnny finds himself staring at a large pile of debris at least ten feet tall. The Exodus is underneath it.

"_This is where all of my explosives training comes in._"

Johnny quickly builds a small but powerful bomb. He places it at the bottom of the pile in a crevice and walks a good distance away. Johnny aims the HPC at the bomb and fires. The blast is so powerful that it knocks Johnny (who is standing fifty yards away) on his back. The explosion knocks the wind out of him. Johnny slowly gets up and walks towards the pile. The pile is gone. All that is left is a large hole and a small, glowing object.

"The Exodus"

Johnny picks it up. The Exodus is small and light enough for Johnny to easily lift with one hand. It is a little bigger than the HPC he is carrying. The Exodus is round and smooth. It glows a dark, blood red color. It looks like a large, red ruby. Suddenly, Johnny is knocked down by another explosion. Johnny lands hard on his back. The blow knocks the Exodus out of his hand. It slides right to the feet of a large Crocodile. Before Johnny can get up, four Crocodile appear and pin his arms and legs down. The large Crocodile picks up the Exodus and stares at it like he has been searching for it his entire life.

"Hard to believe that something so small could possess so much power. Isn't that right Cerinia?" The Crocodile speaks.

Johnny tries to strike the Crocodile but the others hold him down.

"Such defiance, even when you are defeated you still don't give up. It amazes me how resilient your people are."

"What are you going to do?"

"Destroy Cerinia of course. They denied my people the right to rule the galaxy. You see, this galaxy is nothing but chaos. It needs one powerful ruler to bring an end to all this chaos."

"And let me guess, that someone is you?" Johnny asks, sarcastically

"Of course, who else than the king of the Crocodiles."

"So you're the retard that's behind all this madness."

"Bringing peace to an unstable galaxy is not chaos."

"That's not what I was referring to. The fact that you think that the entire galaxy will willingly agree to be ruled by you is madness. You must realize that there will always be people who refuses to be ruled over."

"Then we will destroy them. For such people are nothing more than the scum of the world."

"No, you have a backwards. People have the right to be free. Those that stand up and fight, and are willing to die for it are heroes. People that was to control are the real scum."

"No, freedom is an invitation to chaos. So it must be eliminated. That can only be done with the power that the Exodus possesses."

"So now the truth comes out, it not control or peace you seek, it is power."

"Peace is obtained through power. Without power there can be no peace. It cannot happen the other way around."

Johnny laughs so hard that his sides start to hurt. King Croc and the others look at each other confused. King Croc strikes Johnny in the face as hard as he can. The blow stuns Johnny but barely hurts him.

"Why are you laughing? What is so funny?"

"I just remembered something my father told me years ago. He said that men like you are quick to talk about peace, but slow to relinquish power. Men like you love power too much to give it up."

Johnny's comment infuriates King Croc. He strikes Johnny in the stomach with the butt of his staff. It takes everything Johnny has not to fall to his knees. King Croc turns to the four Crocodiles holding Johnny. "When I'm gone killing the bastard. Make sure he suffers."

"Yes your majesty."

King Croc walks out of the room with the Exodus, leaving Johnny with the four Crocodiles. Two of the Crocodiles grab his arms and hold him back. Another wraps his arms around Johnny's neck and starts chocking him. The fourth walks in front of Johnny. This Crocodiles looks both mad and happy at the same time.

"One of my close friends was killed by your fellow Cerinians during the invasion. So killing you is going to bring me lots of satisfaction." The Crocodile smiles and glares at Johnny's sword. "I think the best way to kill you would be with your own sword."

Johnny hides his smile. He knows exactly what is going to happen. This Crocodile has just unknowingly given him an escape route. As soon as the Crocodile grabs Johnny's sword, it starts sucking the energy from his body. The Crocodile tries to scream but nothing comes out. Within moments, Johnny's sword has drained all of his energy, killing him. The Crocodiles holding Johnny are so shocked that they accidently let him go. Johnny quickly elbows the two holding his arms sending them flying backwards. He then grabs the Crocodile that was choking him over him shoulder and onto the ground. Johnny throws the Crocodile down with such force that he leaves a dent on the concrete. Johnny finishes him off with a chop to his throat, crushing his windpipe. The other two Crocodiles rush at Johnny. Johnny kicks one of the Crocodiles, sending him flying backwards and clotheslines the other. He stomps on the Crocodile's face crushing his skull. The other Crocodile jumps up, picks up a piece or rebar and rushes at Johnny. He swings it at Johnny's head but Johnny blocks it. Johnny delivers an upward elbow to the Crocodile's nose, sending it into his brain. Johnny then throws the Crocodile on the ground headfirst, cracking his skull. He finishes the Crocodile off by stomping his face in.

"Everyone, mission is a failure, I repeat, mission is a failure. The Crocodiles have the Exodus. There was nothing I could do to stop them."

**Those of you that have played "Assassin's Creed", especially "Assassin's Creed Brotherhood," might recognize the conversation between Johnny and King Croc over freedom, control, and peace. I based it off a conservation from the game. Also, if you're wondering what happened when the Crocodile grabbed Johnny's sword, then you may want to turn back to chapter 1.**

**The story is almost over. There are just a couple of a chapters that I have to finish. I'm going to try to get them all done before I post them. It'll probably take me around a week or more to get them all done. **


	9. Chapter 8 Battle for Cerinia

**Sorry for the abrupt end of the last chapter. I wanted to build up suspense before this chapter. For those of you that are looking to see the Star Fox team in the story well your wait is finally over. I hope that you enjoy.**

**P.S. In this chapter, I refer to the group of Star Ghost, Star Fox, Katt, Fay, Miyu, and Katrina as the heroes. It saves words and time. I'm telling ya'll this so you don't get confused.**

Chapter 8: Battle for Cerinia

Ten minutes later Johnny is back aboard the Spectra. The others are in the hangar bay waiting for him. They want to know what happened. They see the Destroyer hover in the hangar as the Spectra flies above Jeremiah's surface. Johnny jumps out and immediately Fara can tell that he is angry and upset. But he is not the dangerous angry at the moment. Johnny looks to be highly disappointed with himself. "Johnny what happened down there?"

"Something that has never happened before, I failed. I've never failed a mission before, especially one as big as this. I let my family down."

Fara places her hands on Johnny's muscular shoulders to comfort him. "It's ok Johnny, everyone fails at some point."

"DAMN IT FARA, DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?! EVERYONE I LOVE IS GOING TO DIE BECAUSE I FAILED!" Johnny yells. Fara jumps back surprised and terrified. Johnny as never yelled at her before. He's yelled plenty of times at other people, but never at her. Johnny sees the surprise and hurt in Fara's eyes. "I'm sorry Fara, I didn't mean to snap at you like that. I'm just under a lot of pressure. Please forgive me"

Fara looks into Johnny's eyes and sees that he is truly sincere with his apology. She knows that Johnny is under a lot of pressure. On top of that he feels ashamed with himself. Johnny doesn't handle disappointment very well. Fara kisses Johnny softly on the cheek. "Of course I forgive you. Just don't let it happen again, or I'll hurt you."

Johnny can't help but smirk. "Yeah, I'd like to see you try."

Johnny pulls Fara in close and kisses her forcefully on the lips. Fara wraps her arms around Johnny's neck and the two of them embrace so warmly that it effects everyone around them.

"Gross, that is disgusting." Daniel shouts.

Johnny and Fara break away and glare at Daniel. He's ruined the moment. Daniel, knowing what he has done backs off. Johnny and Fara can't help but laugh.

"I hate to break to up the romance" Savannah shouts. "But we need to get back to Cerinia before the Crocodiles do."

"Your right" Johnny replies then turns to Timothy. "Set a course for Cerinia."

"Yes Captain, what is the plan once we get there?"

"I guess our best option is to ambush the Crocodiles. The asteroid field surrounding Cerinia is the best place to it. The Crocodiles will have to travel through the asteroids to attack. We can use that to our advantage."

"That's not much of plan Johnny"

"I know, but it's our best chance. Hopefully we can cause enough damage to make them retreat."

Timothy quickly plots a course for Cerinia. He and Fara look at the course from Jeremiah to Cerinia. Fara notices that part of the path requires them to pass through the Lylat System. An idea immediately pops into her head.

"Hey Johnny, I think I know a few people that can help us."

"Who?"

"Star Fox, this map shows that they are close to the path we must take to reach Cerinia. If we make a quick stop, I should be able to convince them to help us. We need their help Johnny. It's four more pilots that we can add to our team."

"Actually, it's three pilots." Katt admits.

"Three, I thought that there was four pilots on Star Fox?"

"There was, are you familiar with the Titanian Incident?"

"No, I've been in the Genesis System for four years now Katt." Fara replies.

"Well two years ago, I found out about a plot by Captain Shears of the Cornerian Army that he was conducting research on the planet. Being a member of the Hot Rodders at the time, we decided to steal it. But I got Star Fox involved in the mess. A rivalry somehow took place between Fox and Falco. We uncovered that Shears was actually trying to revive Andross by cloning him. We were able to destroy the clone and defeat the traitors. But due to the rivalry between Falco and Fox, he left the team and went solo. I haven't heard from him since." Katt explains shamefully.

"Well Katt, that's something that we're going have to talk about later." Fara says, trying to comfort Katt. "It's still three more pilots than we have. It couldn't hurt to have them on the team." Fara turns to Johnny and looks at him like she is expecting something. "Johnny, do you want Star Fox to help?"

"Of course, the more the merrier." Johnny replies and turns to Timothy. "Tim, plot a course to Star Fox's current location."

"Yes sir"

An hour later

Fox, Slippy, Peppy, and R.O.B. 64 are relaxing in the cockpit of the Great Fox. The past six years have not been kind to the team. Peace has not been good to them. With no one to fight after the Lylat Wars, the team fell on hard times. The team hasn't received any income for six months now. The Great Fox is starting to deteriorate. Even the conditions of the Arwings are starting to suffer. Due to a lack of income, Slippy has had to downgrade the Arwings. Now they have only a single laser, can only carry one Nova Bomb at a time, and the maneuverability of the Arwings has gone down significantly. It takes an outstanding pilot to be able to fly them. But the worse effect is on the team itself. Peppy has stepped down from piloting and resides on the team as a mentor. Slippy has also stepped down to become the team's mechanic. R.O.B. is starting to deteriorate as well. He needs new parts and repairs, something that Slippy is overburdened with. Fox is the only real pilot left on the team. But the lack of missions has had the greatest effect on him. Fox is bored out of his mind. It's gotten to the point where he'll take almost any mission from anyone just to get any excitement.

Fox and Slippy are currently engaged in a flight simulation game on their HHGD (Hand Held Game Device). Slippy just put the finishing touches on the game a few days ago. Already, Fox has achieved an expert level on it. He is beating Slippy badly.

"Oh, I win again." Fox shouts, waking up Peppy who was taking a nap.

"Dang it Fox, try to keep it quiet, I'm trying to sleep here."

"Sorry Peppy, I'm just trying to pass the time."

"Well do it quieter."

Fox and Slippy go back to playing their game. Peppy tries to go to sleep. But R.O.B. brings a sudden halt to the boredom. "Fox, an unknown ship as just dropped out of warp speed within 500 miles of the Great Fox."

Fox jumps up and runs to the window. He can see the ship in the distance. Fox doesn't recognize the ship, but he is impressed by its military design. "R.O.B. are they friend or foe?"

"I don't know sir. But they are transmitting a message to us as we speak. Do you want to receive it?"

"Yes, let it play."

R.O.B. puts the message through and Fara's face appears on the holograph. Seeing Fara's face against shocks everyone.

"Fox, it's good to see you again."

"Fara, it's been a while. Are you looking to restart our relationship? I'm thinking about retiring soon. Now would be a good time for us to start over."

Fara can't help but laugh at Fox's comment. "No Fox, it's a little too late for that. I need your help. Can we talk?"

"Sure, we can talk."

"Good, I'll be right over."

Five minutes later Fox, Slippy and Peppy are standing in the Great Fox hangar waiting for Fara. Fara flies into the hangar piloting the Ghost Arwing. Right behind her is Johnny in the Phantom. They land and jump out. Fox walks up to Fara and tries to hug her but Fara shakes his hand instead. Slippy almost jumps on her. He is excited to see her. Fara lets Peppy hug her. "I great to see all of you. I wish that we could meet under better circumstances."

"What do you mean Fara? What's wrong?" Fox asks.

"My home world needs your help?" Johnny butts in.

"Who are you dude?" Fox glares at Johnny.

"You don't recognize me Fox. I'm Jonathan Storm. We met seven years ago on Papetoon. I saved your life."

"Oh you're that John Storm. Sorry man, it's just been a while."

"As long as you help us I don't care."

Fox turns to Fara: "How did you end up working with this stiff?"

"Careful Fox, that's my boyfriend you're talking to."

"Oh" Fox heart sinks a little. He was desperately hoping to renew his relationship with Fara. She's the only woman he's come close to loving. "So what's the problem?"

Fara fills Fox, Slippy, and Peppy in on everything that's happened. Fox recognizes the urgency and importance of the matter. "We're in"

"Really, you're in that easily?" Johnny replies a little shocked.

"Yes, anything to get a little excitement. Plus I'll help Fara with anything."

"Alright, let's get moving. The Crocodiles will be there soon."

An hour later, the whole team is situated in the asteroid field waiting for the Crocodiles to show up. Star Ghost has a total of ten fighter pilots (Johnny, Fara, Savannah, Fox, Slippy, Peppy, Katt, Fay, Miyu, and Katrina) and two mother ships (the Great Fox and the Spectra). The Crocodiles have hundreds of fighters and dozens of battleships and cruisers. The battle appears to be one sided.

Fox looks back at Cerinia. "Man that planet is beautiful. No wonder you're trying to save it."

"Thanks Fox, it's a nice place to settle down and raise a family." Johnny replies.

"There are plenty of beautiful women for you to meet Fox." Fara cockily says. "Some of them would love to meet you."

"I don't doubt it. But what gets me is that we're going to get any support here. Don't the Cerinians have an entire fleet they can send to help us?" Fox asks.

"Yes, but they are busy evacuating the planet." Johnny answers.

"So what you're saying is that our job is to hold the Crocodiles off while they evacuate?"

"Kind of, our job is to defeat the Crocodiles."

"And how are we supposed to beat them? Didn't you say that the Exodus makes their ships stronger and faster?" Fox almost shouts.

"The element of surprise my friend. We're going to use the asteroids against them. You remember those meteor looking things that we laid in the asteroids?"

"Yes, I would very much like to know what those are."

"We call those meteor bombs. Timothy invented them a few years ago. They have the blast power of a Nova bomb, only they are more discrete. Because they look like meteors, enemies fly right up to them without knowing it. We've used them a lot in the Wild Cats Squadron. This time, we placed them in the only opening in asteroid field. So the Crocodiles are going to fly right to them. I think we've placed at least twenty of them in there." Johnny explains.

"That's impressive, it should take out a majority of the fighters. But what about the battleships and the cruisers?" Fox asks.

"That's what the asteroid magnets are for." Timothy answers.

"The what?"

"We've placed four asteroid magnets in the opening. When activated, they will pull the asteroids towards the middle, creating a bottleneck. The large ships will not either get stuck or destroyed. It'll buy us the time we need."

"Alright, that sounds like a good plan. But we're still probably going to die." Peppy says.

"Hey this is our only option at the moment. If you got a better plan I'm all ears." Johnny replies.

At that moment, Timothy comes on all the radios: "Hey guys, I hate to interrupt the moment but the Crocodiles are here."

"Thanks Tim, everyone get in their positions, attack on my signal."

Everyone hides in the asteroids except for Johnny, Fara, and Savannah. They activate the Ghost Program in their ships and hide close to the Crocodiles. As soon as Johnny detonates the bombs they will fly in cloaked and catch the enemy by surprise. They will stay cloaked as long as possible to cause as much damage as possible. Katt, Fay, Miyu, and Katrina are positioned on the left flank and Star Fox is positioned on the right flank. After Johnny detonates the bombs they will flank the Crocodiles and attack from the sides. The Great Fox and the Spectra hide strategically in the asteroids. They are the last line of defense for Cerinia. If any of the Crocodiles manage to make it through their job is to take them out.

Johnny can see the Crocodile Command ship. It is positioned in the middle of the Crocodile fleet, making it well guarded. Positioned on top of it is the largest cannon that Johnny has ever seen. Johnny knows that Exodus is hooked up to the cannon.

"Dear God, we need your help here. I know that we cannot defeat these beasts without your help. Give us the strength and the power to win this battle. Guide and direct us Lord." Johnny prays out loud.

The Crocodiles do exactly as Johnny planned. They fly straight through the opening in the asteroids. The move makes them vulnerable to attack, even with the Exodus. Johnny knows that the Crocodiles are aware of this. But Crocodiles are so confident that they continue on without looking.

"Dang those Crocodiles are cocky and stupid." Fox says.

The Crocodile fighters lead the way. They fly right past the asteroid magnets. Johnny doesn't activate the magnets yet. He waits for the first battleship to fly in close then he activates it. The asteroids start to close in on the battleship. Before the Crocodile battleship can respond, the asteroids crush it like an ant. The battleship explodes and closes the gap, creating a perfect bottleneck. The rest of Crocodile big ships cannot move forward. Their fighters are separated from their carriers. The fighters try to find a way around and head straight into the meteor bombs. Johnny detonates the meteor bombs with the Crocodile fighter's right in the kill zone. The blast is so powerful that Star Ghost can feel it from their positions. It causes the sirens on their ships to start going off.

"HOLY CRAP JOHNNY! THAT WAS A BANG!" Fox shouts.

"Thanks, that was bigger than I thought it'd be."

The blast took out well over a hundred of the Crocodile fighters. It stunned the rest. The blast even severely damaged one of the Crocodile battleships.

"ATACK!" Johnny orders.

Star Ghost flies straight towards the horde of Crocodile fighters. Each of them fires a Nova bomb at the group and detonate them at the same time, taking out dozens of fighters. The Crocodiles have no idea where the incoming fire is coming from. Johnny, Fara, and Savannah fly right through the middle of the group, firing at the same time. They take out several Crocodile fighters. The four girls and Star Ghost attack the flanks, trapping the Crocodile fighters in the kill zone. The Crocodiles are so caught off guard that they have no idea how to respond. Dozens of Crocodiles fall within the first couple of minutes. But the Crocodiles eventually recover and put up a fight. They outnumber our heroes at least 50 to 1, if not more. To make things worse, the Crocodile battleships are trying to make their own way through the asteroids by blasting anything that stands in their way. They'll be through in a matter of minutes. When the Crocodile fighters notice this, several of them take off towards Cerinia. The Great Fox and the Spectra focus on taking them out.

"Johnny, we need a new plan now." Fox shouts. "Once those battleships make it through we're screwed."

"Tell me something I don't know Fox. We need to take out either the Exodus or the Command ship. If we can do one then the battle is ours. Seeing that the Exodus can't be destroyed, our only option is to take out the Command ship." Johnny explains quickly while taking out another two Crocodile fighters.

"And how are we supposed to do that? If some of us leave the fighters will overpower us that remain. We need more fighters."

"May I help?" A mysterious voice comes over the radio.

The heroes look up and see a completely white Arwing coming in the distance. Johnny and Timothy recognize the pilot immediately.

"The Phantom" Johnny and Timothy says in awe at the same time.

A group of Crocodile fighters take off towards the Phantom firing. The Phantom easily dodges their attacks and fires back. He doesn't miss once, at a distance of ten miles. The Phantom flies straight into the middle of the battle. He takes out dozens of Crocodiles in minutes. The others recognize that the Phantom is easily the best pilot in the fight. His presence is enough to tip the battle towards our heroes.

"Star Ghost, we'll handle these guys. You guys go and take out the Command ship." The Phantom orders.

"Yes sir"

Johnny, Fara, and Savannah fly towards the Crocodile Command ship. They have less than a minute before the Ghost Program deactivates and they are visible to the Crocodiles. If they happens while they are in the middle of the Crocodile fleet they're dead. Star Ghost flies as fast as they can past the other Crocodile ships.

"Star, Flash, I'll take out the ship's shields and Flash, you take out the ship's engines. Star, once the shields are down you launch a Nova Bomb into the hangar." Johnny orders.

"But Captain, their Command ship is too big to take out with Nova bombs. I think that we're going have to fly inside and take it out." Fara replies.

"I think your right." Johnny replies back. "Make sure that you're weapons are ready. We're gonna need them."

Johnny finds the shield generator on the right side of the ship. He locks onto the generator and takes it.

"Flash, attack now"

Savannah launches a Nova bomb right between the ship's engines, taking them out. The Command Ship is now completely disabled. Fara flies right up to the front and fires a Nova bomb into the hangar. The Nova Bomb does very little damage to the ship. But it clears out the hangar, leaving no resistance for Johnny, Fara, and Savannah. They land inside the hangar and find it in shambles. Over a hundred of Crocodiles lay dead before them. Except for them, the hangar is completely empty.

"What's the plan Captain?" Fara asks.

"Simple, you two go and take the bridge. I'll find the Exodus and kill King Croc."

Johnny reaches into his ship and pulls out a bomb. "We'll meet back here in ten minutes. We'll leave and blow it up."

"Sounds good to me. Just be careful Johnny." Fara replies and kisses Johnny gently on the lips.

"I will"

Johnny reaches in the Phantom's cockpit and pulls out the automatic shotgun. He's going to need the firepower. Fara and Savannah are each using blasters. They separate and head towards their targets.

Fara and Savannah head to the elevator at the end of the hangar. When they get there they see that the elevator is already on its way down. Fara and Savannah take positions on both sides of the radio. The elevator door opens and five Crocodiles jump out. They walk right past Fara and Savannah and don't notice them. Fara and Savannah shoot all five of them.

"Ok Savannah, the bridge will be on the top floor. Hopefully, this elevator will take us straight there. We take it right now we catch them by surprise."

"Sounds good to me."

Fara finds the bridge button in the elevator display. It takes them straight up. Savannah sees Fara pulling out a flash bang grenade. "Won't that stun us too?"

"Not if you shut your eyes and keep your mouth open. Wait for it to explode then enter the room. We'll have at least five seconds before they start to recover. That should give us plenty of time. Just remember to watch your corners, shoot the kill, and mind the gap."

"Alright, I'll do my best."

"I'm not asking for your best. Either you do it or you don't. I'll go first. I'll take the left, you take the right."

Fara and Savannah hide on the sides of the elevator. When the doors open, Fara tosses in the frag grenade. The grenade goes off and stuns the Crocodile. Fara and Savannah enter the bridge. They find ten Crocodiles in the bridge. Everything appears to be moving in slow motion. Fara sees two Crocodiles on the floor in front of her. She shoots them both. Two Crocodiles are standing to her right, both crotched over in pain. Fara shoots them as well. Savannah sees a Crocodile standing in the right, next to her. She shoots him twice. Two more Crocodiles are trying to recover from the flash bang. Savannah shoots them before they can recover. Fara walks to the front firing at another Crocodile as he tries to recover. The Crocodiles falls down backwards over the controls, his blood short circuits the controls. Fara notices another Crocodile on the ground trying to hide. Fara immediately shoots him. Another Crocodile jumps up from behind a control panel and aims at Fara. Fara shoots him twice in the chest and once in the head.

"We're clear" Fara shouts.

"That was easy"

"Drop your weapons" Fara and Savannah turn around and see a Crocodile with a grenade. The pin is pulled.

"Not a chance" Fara answers and shoots the Crocodile twice in the head. The Crocodile drops like a sack of potatoes. The grenade drops to the floor. Savannah jumps and grabs the grenade. She throws it into the elevator. Fara and Savannah quickly take over behind the control. The grenade explodes, disabling the elevator.

"Good thing there are two elevators up here." Savannah sarcastically says.

"Yeah, now you cover the other elevator. I'll disable the ship's power."

By disabling the ship's power, Fara shuts off the transfer of the Exodus' energy to the other Crocodile ships, significantly lowering their firepower. Our heroes distracting the Crocodile fighters notice the difference right away. The battle becomes one sided with our heroes gaining a significant advantage over the Crocodiles.

Five Crocodiles are guarding the door to the Exodus. They don't know that Johnny is crouching behind a wall.

"So what happened to the ship?"

"I don't know, I was told to guard this room at all cost."

"Does that mean your lives?" Johnny jumps out and mows them down with the automatic shotgun. Johnny walks up to the door but hears two Crocodiles coming behind him. He turns around and blasts them. While Fara and Savannah have encountered very little resistance, Johnny has encountered dozens of Crocodiles. But thanks to the tight corridor, the Crocodiles were bottlenecked right too Johnny. That's what the automatic shotgun was made for. Johnny has mowed through everything in his path.

Johnny comes to the door and finds it locked. It requires a finger print to open. But just as Johnny is about to cut off a dead Crocodile's hand to unlock the door, he realizes that the door also requires a specific clearance level to open. None of the Crocodiles he's killed has that level. "Alright, I guess we do this the hard way."

Johnny pulls out his sword, double grips it (activating its special ability), and stabs the door. He easily cuts his way through the door. The door is no match for Johnny.

Johnny finds the Exodus hooked up the Crocodile's energy transmitter. The Exodus' energy is being transferred to other Crocodile ships. Johnny walks to the Exodus and is about to disconnect it when he hears someone standing behind him. He turns around and sees King Croc standing behind him. King Croc is wearing some kind of mechanical energy suit (**try to imagine that it's like the suit that Ivan Vanko wore in Iron Man 2**). It appears to be some kind of armor. It makes King Croc ten feet tall. The only part of King Croc that is visible is his face. On his arms are electrical whips.

"Still alive huh. Maybe I should've killed you myself."

"I'm like a cockroach. I'm hard to kill and I always a pain in the ass."

"Well you're one cockroach that is about to be squashed."

King Croc swings his whip at Johnny. Johnny jumps back, barely avoiding the whip. King Croc grabs the Exodus and hooks it up to his suit. It makes him much stronger. King Croc swings at Johnny. Johnny ducks and the whip cuts through ten inches of solid steel wall like a knife through butter.

"Oh crap" Johnny reaches for the HPC but drops it. He is too honorable to fight King Croc like that. Johnny wants to fight King Croc with honor. He pulls out his sword and takes a fighting stance.

"Really, you're going to fight me with that thing. You don't stand a chance." King Croc laughs.

"Yes, unlike you I have a sense of honor."

"Alright, this will be over quickly."

Johnny and King Croc circle each other waiting for the other to attack first. Johnny knows that he cannot attack King Croc at the moment. He is too powerful to take head on. Johnny knows that his best option is to wait for an opening and take it. He already has a plan. Johnny double grips his sword, activating its special ability. His sword glows blood red.

King Croc swings his whip at Johnny. Johnny blocks the attack with the flat end of his sword. He feels his sword absorb the energy from the Exodus. Johnny feels the energy coursing through the sword and into his body. It feel good, like getting a small electrical shock. King Croc continues to pound on Johnny for what feels like forever. Johnny blocks every attack, allowing the energy to transfer to him with each attack. He makes it look like King Croc is wearing him out.

After two minutes, King Croc sees an opening. He strikes the floor beneath Johnny, cutting a hole. Johnny slips through and falls ten feet on his back. The landing knocks the wind out of him. Before Johnny can recover, King Croc jumps down. He grabs Johnny's leg and throws him into the wall. Johnny's body leaves a huge hole in the way.

"_Ouch, that kind of hurt."_

Johnny looks up and sees King Croc rushing at him. King Croc jumps in the air in an attempt to crush Johnny. Johnny rolls out the way in the last second. He makes a run to his sword. King Croc swings his whip and wraps it around Johnny's ankle. Johnny falls to the ground just inches from his sword. He reaches for his sword but King Croc tries to drag him away. Johnny reaches with all his might. His fingers touch the hilt and guide it into his hand. Johnny double grips and slices the whip wrapped around his ankle, cutting it in half. He rolls away and hides behind a wall to access his injury.

The whip cut deep into his ankle. Blood is oozing out of it. It's almost bone deep. The electrical charge that Johnny felt through the whip isn't helping. It's making it almost impossible to move his ankle.

"You know little man, I was expecting more from you." King Croc taunts Johnny. "This was kind of disappointing."

Johnny stands up and walks out of his hiding place. He walks up behind King Croc.

"I'm right here." King Croc turns around and sees Johnny standing there like he is ready to die. Jonny doesn't even take a defensive stance. "If you're so powerful then why don't you end it?'

King Croc swings both whips at Johnny. Johnny quickly activates his sword's special ability and blocks both of the whips. The whips collide at his sword, allowing it absorb the energy from both. Johnny absorbs all of the energy he can. The attack is so powerful that it takes everything Johnny has withstand it. His sword glows so bright that is blinds them. It absorbs so much energy that it creates a small explosion. The blast stuns King Croc. Johnny uses this to his advantage. He directs the energy he absorbed through his sword and creates an energy blast. Johnny aims it King Croc. The blast hits King Croc right in the chest. King Croc flies backwards into the wall.

The blast had very little effect on King Croc. The Exodus protected him. But Johnny is nowhere to be found. "Where'd you go insect?"

"Up here"

King Croc looks up and sees Johnny flying through the air. Johnny brings his sword down on King Croc, cutting the Exodus away from him. With the Exodus gone, King Croc is powerless against Johnny. Johnny slices him across the chest, a fatal wound. King Croc falls to the ground before Johnny.

Fara and Savannah run into the chamber at that moment. Fara found the location on the ship's monitor. They decided to head there to help Johnny. They find Johnny standing over King Croc. In Johnny's hand is the Exodus.

King Croc grabs Johnny's shirt and tries to pull himself up. "What gives you the right to deny my people our rightful place? We were destined to bring order and control to the galaxy. Without us in control chaos will reign."

"I don't know where you get your delusions but you must realize that you cannot bring peace to the galaxy by ruling it, especially not the way you operate. You Crocodiles think that you can bring peace through war. All that would bring is chaos and death. So I believe that gives me all the right I need to take this from you."

"You cannot keep it from us. If I can't have it then another will."

"I beg to differ."

Johnny runs his sword right through King Croc's chest. The blade slides through him like a knife through butter, penetrating all way to the hilt.

"Goodbye go with God (in Cerinian)."

Johnny pulls out his sword, dragging out King Croc's guts. King Croc collapses on the floor in a pile of his guts. His death is slow and painful.

Johnny hears someone throw up. He looks up and sees Fara and Savannah standing in the distance. Savannah is bent over puking her insides out.

"Dang it Savannah, this isn't the first time you've seen this."

"I know, it's just really disgusting."

Johnny and Fara both laugh. All three head to their ships in the hangar. They find several Crocodiles trying to scavenge their ships. Johnny, Fara, and Savannah open fire on the Crocodiles and more them down. Fara and Savannah climb aboard their ships while Johnny sets the bomb.

"Bomb is set and ready to detonate. Everyone head to a safe distance." Johnny radios to everyone.

Johnny, Fara, and Savannah fly out of the kill zone as fast as they can. The Crocodile battleships try to shoot them down but miss. They find the others still fighting the Crocodile fighters. There are so few of the Crocodile fighters left. They ignore them and fly as far away as they can.

"If everyone clear of the kill zone?" Johnny radios everyone being cautious. He doesn't want any of his friends to die.

"Everyone's clear"

"Alright, three, two, one, fire in the hole."

Johnny detonates the bomb. Instead of exploding like everyone was expecting, the bomb creates a black hole. The Crocodile Command ship is sucked in upon itself. The black hole is so powerful that the other Crocodile ships are sucked in as well. Those that try to flee find it futile. Everyone Crocodile ship is sucked in. The black hole sucks in nearly a tenth of the asteroids, creating a large hole in the asteroid field. But to everyone's surprise, after five minutes the black hole sucks in upon itself, disappearing like it never happened. Everyone looks at Johnny for some explanation but he is just as surprised as everyone else.

"That was a black hole bomb." Timothy says breaking the silence. "I invented it a few months ago."

"Well Laser I've got to say, I'm very impressed. You've outdone yourself this time." Johnny replies.

"That's one way to clean up a mess." Fox jokes.

"I figured that the best way to end all this was to eliminate the Crocodiles. A black hole seemed like the best way to do it."

"I'm not going to argue with that." The Phantom says.

**I am nearly done with the last chapter. Hopefully I will have it done by tomorrow. I'll have it posted by Saturday afternoon at least.**


	10. Chapter 9 Finally Married

**I would personally like to thank ya'll for sticking with me for this long. This is the last chapter of Annihilation. You'll like how it ends, trust me. **

**P.S. For those of you that are confused about who the Phantom is, that'll be answered in this chapter.**

Chapter 9: Finally Married

"Thank you everyone for your help. I'm in your debt." Johnny radios everyone.

"Don't worry about it Johnny. We were more than happy to help." Fox replies back. "But are we getting paid for this?"

"No Fox" Johnny answers. "The Cerinians don't use money."

"Oh, that sucks. But it was nice to finally get some action. Things were starting to get a little boring aboard the Great Fox."

Johnny laughs to himself. He knows from experience how boring peace can be.

"So now what do we do?" Katt asks. "We defeated these monsters and saved your home world. What's left for us to do?"

"Well I don't know about the rest of you but there's two things I gotta do." Johnny replies. "The rest of ya'll head back to Cerinia. That includes you Fara. I have to do this alone."

"What is it?" Fara asks.

"I have the Exodus in my hands. It's too powerful for anybody to use. It can't destroyed so I have to hide it. I have to do this alone. That a way there's only one person that knows where it is. And ya'll know that I'm not going to give it up to anybody."

"That's true Johnny. You didn't give up anything when the Zaldon Rebels tortured you during the Civil War, and they did some nasty stuff to you." Timothy reminds Johnny.

"Thanks for bringing those memories up Tim. I had almost forgotten them."

The Phantom is hanging back from the rest of the fighters. Everyone is heading towards Cerinia, excluding Johnny, but him. The Phantom knows that it is time to leave.

"It's been an honor fighting alongside you guys. But I cannot stay. I wish ya'll the best of luck. Johnny, Tim, good luck in everything you do."

"Good luck to you to JM." Johnny radios back.

Fox, I want you to know that you've made your father proud."

"You knew my father?" Fox replies shocked.

"I guess you can say that. I knew him pretty well."

With that, the Phantom disappears as quickly as he appeared.

"No wonder they call him the Phantom."

Six hours later Fara, Savannah, Timothy, Daniel, Fox, Slippy, Peppy, Katt, Fay, Miyu, and Katrina are standing around on Cerinia waiting for Johnny to return. At the moment the planet is almost void of any intelligent life. The Cerinians just now got the message that the Crocodiles are defeated. They're currently turning around and heading back.

Fox looks over and sees Fara sitting next to some blue fox/black wolf hybrid. Deep down, Fox still has feelings for Fara. He's known Fara since he was an arrogant teenager. They've been friends since the academy. When Fox's father was killed, Fara was there for him. When Fox started Star Fox, Fara was one of his first choices as a teammate. She has skill and attitude. They didn't start dating till after the Lylat Wars. They were very close to each other. Their relationship was a step short of love. Fox loved Fara but more as a sister. When Fara told Fox that she loved him, he broke her heart. But there was always the hope in Fox's heart that Fara would forgive him and they could together. When Fara told Fox that Johnny was her boyfriend, Fox couldn't help but be a little jealous. Deep down, Fox is hoping to get Fara alone and tell her how he feels.

Out of the corner his eye, Fox sees a young blue vixen appear. The fox/wolf hybrid jumps up and runs to her.

"Aunt Krystal"

Daniel almost jumps on the vixen.

"Daniel, it's been so long since I've seen you. I think you've gotten bigger."

Fox sees an opportunity and takes it. He walks over and sits down next to Fara. Fara stares awkwardly at him. Fox has no idea what to say.

"Fara, whose kid is that?"

"That's Johnny's son Daniel."

"Johnny has a son?" Fox replies surprised.

"Yes" Fara responds a little shocked. "You remember the last time you meet Johnny. It was about four years ago. We were dating at the time. Johnny was with the Wild Cats Squadron at the time. They came into my father's factory to look at new ships. While they were there, Johnny told us that he was married. He married that girl's older sister. She was pregnant with him at the time."

"So where is she?" Fox asks thinking that Johnny is cheating on his wife.

"She passed away giving birth to their son."

"Oh, I am so sorry."

"It's ok Fox. You made an honest mistake." Fara replies and looks at Krystal. "You should ask her out Fox."

Fox looks at the blue vixen playing with Daniel. She is beautiful beyond anything that Fox has ever seen before. Fox can't help but feel attracted to her. The skimpy outfit she's wearing is definitely attracting him.

"Who is she?'

"That's Krystal, trust me you'd like her. She's smart, funny, tough, everything that you like in a woman."

"She sounds like a good girl but there's a problem."

"What is it?"

"I'm in love with someone else, you."

Fara was dreading this. She knows that Fox still loves her. He hasn't taken his eyes off since they've arrived on Cerinia.

"Fox, I hate to tell you this but I've moved on. I still love you Fox and I will always love you. But my love for you has changed. I love you as a brother loves a sister. I've moved on since then Fox. I love Johnny now. I love him more than I thought I could ever someone. Johnny's a good man Fox. He very kind and gentle towards me. I know that he will treat me right. But Fox, we can still be friends."

Fox hangs his hang in disappointment. "Ok, I guess we can still be friends."

Fara suddenly looks up and sees the Phantom flying overhead. Johnny lands in a nearby clearing. As soon as Daniel sees him, he runs to his father.

"Daddy"

Johnny kneels down with his arms out. Daniel jumps on Johnny almost knocking him down. He wraps his arms around his father's neck and refuses to let go. Johnny lifts Daniel up onto his shoulders and walks over to Fox and Fara.

"Did you take care of Exodus Johnny?" Fara asks.

"Yes, it's not going a problem to anyone ever again."

"You hid it that well?" Fox replies.

"Yep, even if someone does find it they won't be able to get it."

"That awesome Johnny, you think of everything." Fara compliments. "Now that's done, what's the second thing you have to do?"

Johnny takes Daniel off his shoulders and puts him on the ground. He takes Fara's hand and gets down on one knee. In Johnny's hand in the ring his mother gave him.

"Fara Phoenix, will you marry me?"

Fara is caught completely off guard. This is the last thing she expected for Johnny to do right now. Fara always thought that Johnny would wait till they were in private to pop the question. But he went above her expectations and asked her in front of all of her friends. A tear rolls down Fara's cheek. Fara jumps on Johnny, wraps her arms around his neck, and starts kissing him over and over.

"Yes, of course I'll marry you."

_One month later_

Jonathan is standing in front of the altar. The day of the wedding has finally arrived. Timothy, Fox, Slippy, and Peppy are standing beside him. Timothy is Jonathan's best man. Daniel is the ring bearer. Fox, Slippy, and Peppy are all grooms to be. Jonathan's father Joseph is the priest. He was the natural choice for the priest, being the leader of the Black Wolf clan. The building is packed with Cerinians, mostly Black Wolves. There are a few blue foxes and blue cougars. A few non – Cerinians are also there, the Wild Cats Squadron for example. They are there to support Jonathan and Fara. There was no way that they were going to miss their old friend getting married.

Fox looks out into the audience. He can't help but notice how big and fierce looking the Black Wolves are. Fox thought that it was just Jonathan. A couple of weeks ago, Fox got lost and ended up at the Black Wolf training arena. He saw how powerful they were. Not only are the Black Wolves big and muscular, they are the most talented fighters he has ever seen. Seeing their skills and power made him feel miniscule. Ever since then, Fox has been very careful to not angry any of them. Fox knows that even a Black Wolf teenager could kill him. Jonathan had to reassure Fox that his people are gentle giants. His people are good at restraining their anger and strength. They only use it when they have to.

Fox looks at Jonathan and notices that he looks really nervous. Jonathan looks like he's about to pass out. This is the last thing that Fox expected from Jonathan. Jonathan doesn't appear to be the kind of guy who gets nervous.

"You alright John"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that I'm really excited. I'm about to marry the woman of my dreams. I've been looking forward to this for a long time."

At that moment, the here comes to bride music starts playing. Everyone comes to attention. Fara enters the room, led by her father, looking absolutely stunning. Jonathan and Fox never seen her so gussied up before. For once, Fara is actually wearing makeup. It makes her look even more beautiful, which Jonathan didn't even think was possible. Her hair is groomed and is not tied in a ponytail for once. The tube top wedding dress is definitely a factor. It brings out her bodily figure. Jonathan has to keep himself from drooling. Fox is having an even harder time controlling himself that Jonathan is. Fara is followed by Katt, Fay, Miyu, Katrina, and Krystal. Daniel is close behind them. Fara and her father stop at the altar. Joseph gathers his thoughts and starts the vows.

"We are gathered here today to join in holy matrimony to join together Charles and Zathora; which is an honorable and solemn estate and therefore is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently and soberly. Into this estate these two persons present come now to be joined. If anyone can show just cause why they may not be lawfully joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace."

No one says a word.

"Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"

"I do" Fara's father answers.

Fara hugs her father then gives her Jonathan. Fara takes her place by Jonathan's side. Katt, Fay, Miyu, Katrina, and Krystal take their places on the altar. Fara notices that Jonathan cannot take his eyes off her. That's the main reason she got all gussied up. Jonathan winks at her. Fara smiles playfully at Jonathan.

"You look absolutely beautiful honey." Jonathan whispers.

"You don't look so bad yourself Johnny."

Jonathan smirks to himself.

"Fara, do you take Jonathan to for your lawful wedded husband, to live in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love, honor, comfort, and cherish him from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto him for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do"

"Jonathan, do you take Fara to be your lawful wedded wife, to live in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love, honor, comfort, and cherish him from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto him for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do"

"The bride and groom have written their own vows."

Jonathan goes first. "Fara, when I lost Jasmine I thought that I would never love again. It didn't take long for me to be proven wrong. I love you more than I ever thought possible. I have loved you for a long time now. I know that I'm not perfect but I promise you that I will do my best to make you happy. I will never do anything to hurt you. You have my word. I promise that I will always love you no matter what happens. All I need for the rest of my life is you."

Fara tries her best to hide her tears. She tries to gather her thoughts and takes a deep breath. "Jonathan, when I first met you I thought that you were nothing more than a brute. But regarding the situation in which we first met that's understandable. We were in combat after all. The way you slaughtered those rebels wasn't helping. But it didn't take me long to realize that I was wrong. You are not a brute. You are the sweetest, kindest, funniest, smartest, gentlest guy that I have ever met. You were there when I needed you to be. You comforted me when I was down. Words cannot describe how much I love you. I look forward to spending the rest of my life and having a family with you."

Jonathan wants so desperately to kiss Fara. But he manages to control himself. Joseph moves on to the ring bearing.

"May we have the rings?"

Daniel hands Jonathan the ring.

"May this wing be blessed so he who gives it and she who wears it may abide in peace, and continue in love until life's end." Jonathan places the ring on Fara's finger. "With this ring I wed thee. Wear it as a symbol of our love and commitment."

Daniel hands Fara the ring.

"May this wing be blessed so she who gives it and he who wears it may abide in peace, and continue in love until life's end." Fara places the ring on Jonathan's finger. "With this ring I thee wed. Wear it as a symbol of our love and commitment."

"May this couple be prepared to continue to give, be able to forgive and experience more and more joy with each passing day, with each passing year. Charles/Salvador and Zathora/Brenda are now beginning their married life together, we hope that they may have loving assistance from their family, the constant support of friends, and a long life with good health and everlasting love. In so much as Charles and Zathora have consented to live forever together in wedlock, and have witnessed the same before this company, having given and pledged their troth, each to the other, and having declared same by the giving and receiving of a ring, I pronounce that they are husband and wife. You may know kiss the bride."

Fara almost jumps on Jonathan. Her lips hit her new husband's so hard that it almost knocks him down. Fara and Jonathan remained lip locked for almost a minute.

"I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Storm."

The audience jumps up shouting. Some are in tears. Everyone is happy for the newly wedded couple.

Half an hour later, everyone is gathered for the wedding reception. Jonathan and Fara are standing at the front of the dance floor. Everyone's coming by and congratulating them. Daniel's standing next to them as happy as can be.

"Hey Fara, do I have to call you mom now?"

"Only if you want to Daniel."

"Alright mom"

Fara can't help but smirk a little to herself. Her father is standing next to her when Daniel called her mom.

"I didn't realize that you were going to be a mother so soon Fara. I was kind of hoping that it'd be at least nine months from now."

"Very funny dad, Daniel is a very nice kid. Jonathan's done a good job raising him."

"Well at least you married someone who has experience raising kids. By the way, you've never told me where you were going on your honeymoon."

"We're going to the Titanian Resort."

"Good choice, if you need money to pay just ask."

"Thanks daddy" Fara hugs her father tight.

The music starts playing a few minutes later. Jonathan doesn't hesitate to lead Fara out onto the dance floor. Soon there is barely a single empty part on the dance floor. Everyone is dancing, that is everyone except Fox and a few others. Fox is standing at the edge of the table with Slippy and Peppy. Out of the corner of his eye, Fox sees Krystal approaching. She walks right up to their table.

"Fox, how are you doing?'

"Great I guess"

The moment quickly becomes awkward. Neither of them knows what to say to the other. Krystal has never had these feelings like this for anyone before. She's known him for only a month and yet she's already developing romantic feelings for Fox McCloud. Fox, on the other hand, is still dealing with his feelings for Fara. He's having difficultly letting her go.

"So Fox, do you want to dance?" Krystal finally asks.

"Sure, lead the way."

Krystal leads Fox into the middle of the crowd. She grabs Fox's hand and places them on her hips. Krystal places her hands on Fox's shoulders, their faces are inches apart.

"They make a cute couple." Fara whispers to Jonathan. They are a few feet away from Fox and Krystal.

"Yeah, their almost as cute as us."

Fara laughs quietly to Jonathan. "Do you think they'll make it Jonathan?"

Jonathan quickly looks at Fox and Krystal with his Wolf Sense. It tells him exactly how Fox and Krystal feel towards each other.

"I really don't think so. The Wolf Sense is telling me that Fox still has feelings for you. It's distracting him from Krystal. Give it a little more time and maybe. Krystal definitely has feelings for Fox. But since Fox is leaving immediately after the reception I have to say no."

"That sucks, I had high hopes for them."

Two days later Jonathan and Fara arrive at the Titanian Resort. The freighter they took to Titania got them to their destination late at night. Jonathan and Fara agree to go straight to bed. It's been a long ride.

An hour after they arrived, Jonathan is sitting on the bed watching TV. Fara is finishing up taking a shower. All Jonathan is wearing are pants. Jonathan hears the bathroom door open. He turns and sees Fara wearing only a towel. Any tiredness he was feeling immediately goes away.

"So Johnny, I was thinking about what we were going to do during our honeymoon. We haven't discussed anything yet."

A playful smiles makes its way across Johnny's face. "I have a few things that I want to do to you."

Knowing what Jonathan means Fara drops the towel on the floor.

"Yep, that's exactly what I was thinking. This is going to be a great honeymoon."

Savannah and Timothy have their arms wrapped around each other dancing. Being in Timothy's arms makes Savannah's heart jump. It's been like that ever since she first saw him. But when she found out about Timothy and Katrina's past her heart sank. Savannah has been reading Timothy's mind constantly. His thoughts have been their past love life. But as Savannah reads his mind now, it's different. He's thoughts are not as Katrina at all.

Timothy notices Savannah is distracted. He knows that she has feelings for him. Timothy also knows that Savannah is jealous of Katrina. "Savannah, there's something that I've been meaning to tell you."

"What is it Tim?"

"As you know Katrina and I had a thing several years ago. But I assure you we're done. Our relationship ended years ago. There's another woman in my life now."

Savannah's heart sinks. "Oh, well I wish you both the best of luck."

"Savannah, I was talking about you. I really like you."

Savannah almost jumps on Timothy. She forcefully kisses him on the lips. Everyone around stares at them. But Savannah and Timothy ddon't care.

_A week later on Titania_

Fara wakes up groggy but comfortable. She looks up and sees Johnny asleep next to her. The only thing cover them are the bed sheets. Fara is practically lying on top of Johnny. Her head is on his muscular shoulder. Johnny's muscles aren't much of a pillow. They are too strong and rough to be comfortable. But they are thick enough to sleep on. Fara can't help but admire Johnny's physic. She has never seen anyone in as good a shape as Johnny. Fara has to constantly remind herself that she didn't fall in love with for his looks. But his looks definitely help.

This last week has been heaven for her. The week has been almost nothing but constant sex. Fara can't help but feel sorry for the person that has to clean the bed sheets once they leave. Johnny has been a good sexual partner. He's been her only partner. But Johnny's previous experience with his first wife Jasmine has proven useful. Deep down, Fara can't help but wish that she was Johnny's first as well. That would definitely make the moment more sentimental. But Fara knows that those thoughts are wrong. Fara knows that Daniel wouldn't be around if she was Johnny's first. Plus she knows that there was a time when Johnny loved Fara, deep down, he still misses her deeply.

Fara strokes Johnny's bare chest. Her hand rolls over his masculine chest. Fara's fingers move softly through his long, chest fur. His fur feels a little rough. But that's what years in the snow and training will do. Johnny's fur is actually keeping Fara warm. It saved her life once.

"What's up beautiful?"

Johnny's sudden voice scares Fara. She didn't realize that Johnny was awake. "How long have you been awake honey?"

"A few minutes. I was pretending to be asleep when you woke up. I wanted to see what you'd do. You can continue rubbing my chest. That feels really good."

Fara cuddles up as close to her husband as she can. She plants a kiss on Johnny's chest and works her way up to his lips. Johnny is smooth at first. But he eventually gets "rough." He tries to make his way up top of Fara but she keeps him off.

"Is there a problem Fara?"

"Yes, I don't know how to say it but I think I may be pregnant."

"Are you sure Fara?"

"No, I've been feeling a little strange these past couple of days. I'm not leaping to any conclusions but I wouldn't rule it out."

Johnny can't help but laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"I'm actually not surprised. After everything we've done this past week I'd be surprised if you weren't pregnant."

"You've got a good point there Johnny."

""I usually do"

Fara lays her head on Johnny's chest. Johnny runs his fingers through his wife's hair. Knowing the possibility of having a child puts both of them out of the mood.

"So what do you want to do now?" Fara asks.

"I kinda just want to lay here naked next to you."

Fara lets out a small giggle. Somehow she knew that Johnny would say something like that.

"I wouldn't mind doing that. But this is our last day here so I want to get out and do something."

"Are you sure, it's over a hundred degree out there?"

"Johnny, I know that you don't like that heat. That's why they got six pools here."

"Alright, as long as you don't make me go hiking in this heat, I'm in."

An hour later, Jonathan and Fara are down by the pool. Fara is sitting in a lawn chair wearing nothing but a skimpy bikini. Jonathan is in the pool trying to stay cool. The Titanian heat has been getting to him. Being a Black Wolf, Jonathan has long fur to keep him warm in the cold Cerinian Mountains. But now it's working against him. The only way Jonathan can keep from getting too hot is to stay in the pool. Jonathan floats on the surface of the water, exposing his body to all the beautiful women at the hotel, and there are quite a few of them. But Fara is the only woman he's interested in. Looking at her in the skimpy bikini, it's hard for him to imagine that she's possibly carrying his child. She's far too beautiful to be pregnant.

A horny Fennec Fox makes his way to Fara. He takes a seat in the chair next to her. Fara doesn't even acknowledge the fox's presence.

"Hey beautiful, how about we go back to my room and shake the bed a little."

Fara doesn't even look at the fox. She's not going to give him the satisfaction. Fara just shows him her wedding ring.

"I don't your husband anywhere near here. We can go the bathroom and be done before he arrives."

"It's a little too late for that buddy." Jonathan's overhead the entire conversation. When he saw the fox make a move towards his wife, Jonathan swam towards the side of the pool. He knew that Fara would refuse but was curious on how it would play out. The fox jumps when he sees Johnny leaning on the edge of the pool.

"What are you going to do to me?"

"If I were you I'd be more worried about what my wife's going to do if you don't back off."

The fox looks at Jonathan and Fara and laughs. He suddenly grabs Fara's leg, a big mistake. Fara grabs his hand and breaks it. The fox screams out in pain. Fara, smiling, finishes the fox off with an elbow to the jaw, breaking it. The fox falls back and lands with a thud.

"Dang it Fara, you sure know how to turn me on."

Fara gets up and walks to the edge of the pool.

"What can I say Johnny, I've known you for years. Now how about we go back upstairs and see if we can make a set of twins."

"Sounds good to me. Can you help me out of here?"

Fara bends down and offers Jonathan her hand. Jonathan takes it and pulls Fara into the pool. Fara screams as Jonathan pulls her in. She comes out of the water giggling.

"Johnny, that was so unexpected it was rude."

"So what are you going to do about it?" Jonathan replies playfully.

Fara wraps her arms around Jonathan's neck and leans in close to his ear to whisper: "By the time I'm done with you baby both of us are going to be walking funny for a month."

"Why don't you guys get a room?"

Colonel Bobcat Harrison is standing by the edge of the pool.

"How long have you been standing there Colonel?" Jonathan shouts.

"Long enough to see Fara beat that jackass lying on the ground over there."

Jonathan and Fara can't help but laugh.

"So what are you doing here Colonel? You here to wish us a happy marriage?" Fara asks.

"No, I'm here about the Star Ghost team you've started."

"You mean us and Timothy and Savannah? We bonded together to rescue Cerinia. The team is done." Jonathan replies.

"I don't think you realize what you've started Johnny. Zaldon needs mercenaries like yourselves right now. The galaxy is full of criminals who think that their above the law. We need you guys to be the ones to remind them that justice does exist. If you guys are willing Zaldon will pay you."

Jonathan looks at Fara. The look on her face says enough. She desperately wants him to accept Bobcat's offer. The thrill of battle still thrives in both of them. They still crave it.

"Alright Colonel, we're in."

"Great, I'll assume that you can get Timothy and Savannah on board."

"That won't be problem."

"Alright, when you guys finish your honeymoon come see me. I already a mission for you."

_Nine Months Later on Cerinia_

Johnny tries to gather his breath. This is one of the most important moments of his life. It's the moment that he's been waiting for the past nine months. Lying in the hospital bed is Fara. She went into labor last night. Johnny rushed her to the Cerinian hospital as fast as he could when she did. He moved so fast that he forgot to wake up Daniel. His grandmother had to wake him up and tell him that his little sibling is about to be born. Johnny hasn't seen him since then, but he knows that Daniel will be wanting an explanation as to why he was left behind.

The past nine months have been a little hectic for the couple. This being Fara's first child, she's been a little afraid and cautious. She wants to know every little thing that happening inside of her. It's been a little annoying to Johnny. Fortunately, Johnny's experience with Daniel was very helpful. Plus they've have help from the other Cerinians. Johnny's parents have been very helpful. Krystal, Savannah, Timothy, and Elizabeth have also been there for them. It's been a real blessing having them. Being mercenaries have made it a little difficult. When Colonel Bobcat found out that Johnny and Fare were having a baby he gave them simple missions. Fara flew alongside Johnny, Savannah, and Timothy for the first four months of her pregnancy. But once the she started showing, Fara stayed out of the cockpit. She was mainly there for support. When Fara started getting really big, Johnny and Fara temporarily shut Star Ghost down. At the moment, they plan on waiting till their child is weaned before restarting the team. Timothy has been busy making the Spectra baby proof.

Fara suddenly screams in pain. Johnny suddenly wakes up and snaps to attention. He was starting to doze off. Fara's been in labor for eight hours. She's moving faster than most Cerinians. Fara's contractions catch the doctors off guard.

"OH MY GOSH THIS HURTS!" Fara screams.

Johnny grabs a hold of Fara's hand to comfort her. "I'm here for you honey."

Fara looks at Johnny with tears in her eyes. Johnny knows that they are tears of pain. He doesn't know what to say. Johnny has experienced pain throughout his entire life, but nothing compared to what Fara is experiencing. Fara screams again, this time almost loud enough to break the window glass. She squeezes Johnny's hand so hard that it actually starts to hurt. Fara's strength never ceases to amaze Johnny. The doctor tries to comfort Fara. "You're doing good Mrs. Storm. We're almost there. Just give it one more big push."

Fara digs as deep as she can and gives a big push. She screams loudly, nearly shattering Johnny and the doctor's eardrum. The doctor sees the head, grabs it, and pulls. Within moments, the doctor is holding Johnny and Fara's baby.

"It's a girl."

The doctor hands the girl to Fara. Fara cradles her newborn baby in her arms. Johnny and Fara admire the beautiful girl. She is the most beautiful thing that they have ever seen. She has her mother's soft, sand – colored fur, her long ears, and tail. She has her father's wolf body figure and features. Neither Johnny nor Fara can say a word. They are just in awe of her. Johnny reaches over and lightly touches his daughter's cheek. She grasps Johnny little finger. Johnny's heart feels like it is bouncing in his chest. His daughter hasn't been born for more than a minute and he already loves her so much that he is willing to give his own life for her.

"She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Johnny says.

"That's because she came from you and me."

"You did a good job. She is of perfect health." The doctor asks. "So what are you going to name her?"

Fara looks at Johnny like she has no idea. She thought that she was having boy. Fara had the name Hunter on her mind. But if they had a girl, Fara was expecting for Johnny to recommend Jasmine to honor his first wife.

"How about Jennifer?" Johnny recommends.

Fara stares at Johnny shocked. He has just recommended that they name their daughter after Fara's mother who passed away a few years ago. She was very close to her mother. It brings tears of joy to her eyes.

"Are you sure Johnny? You never met my mother."

"I know, but you talk about her all the time. I had a feeling that the two of you were close. So I figured that it'd be a good way to honor her."

"Thank you Johnny." Fara says with tears in her eyes. She holds up their baby. "Welcome to the world Jennifer."

The moment is ruined by a knock on the door. Daniel enters the room. Fara puts Jennifer in Johnny's arms. She wants Daniel to see his little sister. He is not tall enough to see Jennifer from Fara's arms. Johnny gets down on his knees so Daniel can see the little miracle.

"Hey Daniel, say hello to your baby sister Jennifer."

Daniel stares in awe at his little sister. He walks right up to her not knowing what to do or say. The thought of being a big brother is almost too much for him. He's afraid he's going to break her. "It's ok Daniel, you're not going to hurt her."

"Are you sure daddy?"

"I'm sure buddy, just be gentle."

Daniel lightly touches Jennifer's cheek. Jennifer grasps Daniel's hand. "She's absolutely beautiful."

"I know, she gets that from her mother."

"She gets it from you to Johnny." Fara adds.

"That may be an overstatement Fara. Her looks definitely come from you."


	11. Epilogue

Epilogue

Fara slowly exits the pool dripping wet. She's been in the pool for three hours. The first thing she notices how little Jonathan has changed the last fourteen years. Time has had very little effect on him. If anything, he's gotten stronger. He's gained a little weight around his waist but that's normal with retirement. His fur has gotten significantly darker and rougher. His hair is no longer tied in a ponytail. Jonathan hasn't cut his hair since he was discharged from the military fourteen years ago so it flows almost to the ground.

Fara notices that April is asleep in Jonathan's arms. That amazes Fara because Alisha, Hunter, and Marcus are shouting at each other. Fox and Krystal are trying to control them. Daniel and Jennifer are just sitting there not saying a word. After reliving her memories, it shocks Fara to see how much they have grown. Daniel's become a handsome man, the spitting image of his father, except for his blue fur. Daniel is stubborn like his father but hyperactive like his mother was. It's hard for Fara to believe that Jonathan is in his final days at the Cornerian Flight Academy. He's got his father's martal art skills, his classmates fear him because of his skills. He's already signed a contract with the Cornerian military to become an officer. Jennifer has grown into a beautiful young woman. She looks exactly like Fara, with a little bit of Jonathan thrown in. Being Fara's daughter, she is very beautiful, which means that boys are always coming for her, at least they were until Jonathan stepped in and scared them away.

As soon as Fara gets out of the pool Jonathan jumps up and hands April to her. Fara cradles April in her arms. Krystal surprises everyone by walking up and punching Jonathan in the arm.

"That was for telling Fara that you didn't think that Fox and I would make it."

"The Wolf Sense was the only intuition I had about you and Fox at the time. It told me that your relationship wasn't going to last. Now I'm speaking from the heart here, I'm truly happy to see you and Fox together. You two are the perfect couple, outside of Fara and me."

Marcus walks over to Daniel and stands right next to him.

"So how much of this do you remember?"

"All of it. I was very young but I remember all of it like it was yesterday."

Alisha and Hunter hear Daniel. They jump up and rush at him. Daniel moves so fast that Alisha and Hunter hardly see him move. One second he's sitting in front of them, the next he's standing behind them. Daniel grabs Alisha and Hunter by the neck from behind and holds them back.

"You knew about mom and dad's past and you didn't tell us they were so awesome."

"They made me promise not to tell anyone. But I told you last night that they were cool. You should've listed to me."

Everyone heads back to Fox and Krystal's house. Their children have a brand new respect for Jonathan and Fara. Marcus is evening considering dropping his parents as his idols. Jonathan has to reassure Marcus that Fox and Krystal should remain his idols instead of him.

That night Jonathan and Fara are taking Alisha and Hunter into bed. Fox allows their children to sleep in the living room. Jonathan and Fara have a room to themselves, except for April who sleeps in the same room with them. Fara doesn't want to let April out of her sight. Marcus is walks into the room as Jonathan finishes tucking Hunter in.

"Jonathan, Fara, I want you to know that I think that you guys are awesome."

"Thanks little man. Now why don't you ask your question?"

"How do you know that I'm going to ask you a question?"  
"Remember, I'm Cerinian like your mother."

"What does that mean?"

Jonathan has to remember that Marcus is only five. Marcus doesn't fully understand his mother's telepathic abilities or his Cerinian heritage.

"Well, I have this ability that allows me to see a person's true emotions. It told me that you were about to ask me a question."

Marcus looks around awkwardly.

"So do you know what I'm going to ask you?"

"Nope, I'm not Savannah"

"Oh, well I was going to ask you if there's more to your story, as Star Ghost."

"Oh no, there's so much more to tell. What you saw was just the beginning. We had so many adventures together that it'd be difficult to tell them all. But I promise, I will tell them to you some time."

**I know what ya'll are thinking. You expected Cerinia to be destroyed, not for Star Ghost to save it. But don't worry about that. That's coming up in the sequel Avengers. **

**Star Ghost's story is far from over. I have entire series planned out with 5 stories, including this one, detailing Star Ghost's greatest exploits. But before I go into the sequel, Avengers, I'm writing two origin stories about the team. One on the first time Johnny and Fara met and another on Timothy's early life in the Zaldon Asylum and relationship with Katrina Morison.**

**Since this is my first FanFiction story I would greatly appreciate any comments and reviews on ways to improve my writing, as long as they ain't too negative.**


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